(^~^^^^==4^it:£^^:^  ^  ^t  ^ 


^  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 

V 


w^^.  > 


3  1822  02469  6874 


Social  Sciences  &  Humanities  Library 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 
Please  Note:  This  item  is  subject  to  recall. 


Date  Due 

JUN  1  7  2001 

CI  39  (5/97) 


UCSD  Lib. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/cycleofcathayorcOOmartiala 


X  i 


::^ 


Copyright,  1896, 
By  Fleming  II.  Reveu,  Company. 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall. 
All  rights  reserved. 


THK    TAXTON    PRESS,    NEW    YORK. 


THE  END  OF  THE  CYCLE 


Preface  to  the  New  Edition 

Since  these  chapters  were  written,  events  quaruin  pars  fui,  have 
occurred  amply  sufficient  to  fill  another  volume;  but  I  am  here 
limited  to  a  meagre  outline.  The  transition  which  I  have  to 
record  is  from  the  nineteenth  to  the  twentieth  century — a  transi- 
tion from  gloom  and  anarchy,  to  the  dawn  of  a  new  China. 

I.     The  Reign  oe  Kwang  Su 

When  I  returned  to  China  in  1897,  the  young  Emperor  was  in 
power,  and  his  adoptive  mother,  the  Empress  Dowager,  in  retire- 
ment at  her  country  palace.  For  fifteen  years  he  had  occupied 
the  throne  while  she  reigned,  but  deeming  him  sufficiently  mature 
to  be  trusted  with  the  reins,  she  withdrew,  to  pass  the  rest  of  her 
days  in  well  earned  repose.  She  took  care,  however,  that  she 
should  not  be  forgotten — requiring  him  to  visit  her  and  perform 
the  rites  of  filial  homage  once  in  five  days.  He  was  allowed  to 
pose  as  pilot;  but  she  kept  her  hand  on  the  helm,  and  if  anything 
went  wrong,  it  would  be  easy  to  assert  herself. 

For  a  time  the  machine  moved  at  its  old  pace  and  in  the  old 
track;  but  the  war  with  Japan  (1894-5)  gave  it  a  rude  shock.  In 
her  war  with  Lnmcc  China  had  not  sufficiently  learned  the  peril 
implied  in  the  obligations  of  a  suzerain.  She  undertook  in  Corea 
to  oppose  the  ambition  of  her  Island  Neighbours.  To  humble 
China  the\'  bec;>.me  champions  of  the  King,  whom  they  styled 
Emperor  by  way  of  declaring  his  independence.  In  the  war  that 
ensued  the  trained  troops  of  China  w-ere  uniformh-  defeated; 
Port  Arthur  and  Liao  Tung  were  occupied  by  the  enemy;  Peking 
began  to  tremble  : — and  Li  Hung  Chang  w-as  sent  to  Japan  to  beg 
for  peace. 

Fortunately  for  the  success  of  his  mission,  an  assassin  lodged  a 
bullet  in  his  skull ;  and  the  Mikado,  ashamed  of  that  barbarous 
act,  granted  peace  on  easy  terms.  The  victors  were  to  retain 
those  strategic  points;  but  Russia,  securing  the  moral  (or  im- 
moral) support  of  Germany  and  France,  obliged  them  to  retire 
from  Manchuria  as  a  preparation  for  her  own  aggressions,  thus 
sowing  the  seeds  of  another  war. 

China's  defeat  at  the  hands  of  Japan  was  a  much  needed  lesson. 
Some  of  her  statesmen  woke  to  the  consciousness  of  her  weak- 
ness ;  and  strove,  not  without  success,  to  arouse  Emperor  and 
people  to  imitate  Japan  in  breaking  with  their  traditionary  polic\-. 
Viceroy  Chang  wrote  a  book,  called  "Exhortations  to  Learn";' 
iTranslated  as  "China's  Only  Hope." 


2  The  End  of  The  Cycle 

which  was  not  merel}-  received  with  favour  by  His  Majesty  but 
by  decree  distributed  among  the  magnates  of  the  empire.  About 
the  same  time  Kang  Yu  Wei,  an  eminent  scholar  of  Canton, 
urged  the  same  course  and  was  accepted  by  the  Emperor  as  a  sort 
of  mentor. 

Under  these  influences  he  sent  out  a  meteoric  shower  of  re- 
formatory decrees — filling  one  party  with  joy  and  the  other  with 
dread.  Schools  were  to  be  established  everywhere  and  colleges 
in  all  the  provinces.  The  old  tests  of  scholarship  were  abolished 
and  modern  science  was  to  take  their  place.  A  university  for  the 
empire  was  created  and  the  Emperor  selected  me  for  its  first 
president- — at  the  same  time  conferring  on  me  the  red  button  of 
the  second  rank ;  honours,  which  by  exception,  were  published  in 
the  Court  Gazette,  and  announced  l)y  a  band  of  music  from  the 
palace. 

Just  at  this  juncture  the  ^larquis  Ito  coming  to  Peking  with  a 
view  to  cementing  the  friendship  of  the  two  nations  was  enter- 
tained at  a  banquet  by  Sun  of  the  Grand  Council,  and  Hu,  gov- 
ernor of  the  city,  and  Li  Hung  Chang  and  myself  were  asked  to 
meet  him.  He  recounted  the  steps  by  which  japan  had  come  out 
of  her  shell ;  and  T  congratulated  him  that  "Japan  exerted  on 
China  a  greater  influence  than  any  western  nation — much  as  the 
moon  raises  a  higher  tide  than  the  more  distant  sun" — a  compli- 
ment, with  which  he  seemed  pleased,  though  it  implied  that  Japan 
was  shining  b}'  borrowed  light. 

So  far  from  following  the  shining  track  of  her  neighbour,  China 
at  once  entered  on   a  precipitate  recoil. 

H.     Thk  Dowager's  Coup  d'Etat 

The  heads  of  the  conservative  party,  alarmed  by  the  Emperor's 
innovations,  implored  the  Empress  Dowager  to  save  the  empire 
from  a  threatened  conflagration.  Sh:-  reappeared  like  a  dens  ex 
machina.  The  young  Phiieton,  who  was  setting  the  world  on  fire, 
was  struck  down;  and  the  chariot  of  the  sun  i)rought  back  to  its 
old  course. 

The  imperial  culprit,  who  owed  his  elevation  to  her,  threw  him- 
self at  her  feet  and  confessing  his  faults  prayed  her  to  "Teach 
him  how  to  govern."  He  was  not  stripped  of  his  title; ;  but  he 
was  confined  a  virtual  prisoner  in  a  secluded  palace.  The  Dow- 
ager evidently  thought  of  setting  him  aside  ;  perhaps  indeed  she 
expected  him  to  put  himself  out  of  the  way;  for  she  proceeded  to 
adopt  an  heir  to  the  throne ;  a  lad  of  fifteen,  the  son  of  Prince 
Tuan. 

Certain  it  is,  that  Prince  Tuan,  the  uncle  of  Kwang  Su,  ex- 
pected a  speedy  vacancy  in  the  line  of  succession  ;  for  he  began 
to  put  on  all  the  airs  of  the  father  of  a  reigning  sovereign;  who 
bv  Chinese  usage  exercises  no  small  share  of  the  supreme  power, 
especially  when  the  Emperor  is  a  minor. 

Till'  Dowager,  though  originally  inclined  to  a  liberal  policy,  fell 


The  End  of  The  Cycle  3 

;n  with  the  views  of  the  party  to  which  she  had  now  comiuilted 
herself;  and  proceeded  to  undo  all  recent  progressive  measures 
while  a  spirit  of  hostility  towards  foreigners  and  foreign  methods 
began  to  show  itself.  This  was  intensified  by  a  series  of  aggres- 
sions on  the  part  of  foreign  powers.  Germany,  in  the  fall  of  1897, 
took  Kiao  Chow  ;  the  next  spring  Russia  took  Port  Arthur ;  then 
England  took  Wei  Hai  Wei  and  France  Kwang-Chow-Wan. 
Although  in  every  case  the  seaport  was  said  to  be  "leased"  for  a 
term  of  years,  the  Chinese  knew  that  they  were  compelled  to 
waive  their  sovereignty  and  that  those  strategic  positions  were 
lost  forever. 

HI.     The  Boxer  Tragedy 

For  the  occupation  of  Kiao  Chow,  the  Germans  found  a  pretext 
in  the  murder  of  two  missionaries;  and  the  turbulent  populace, 
who  committed  the  atrocity,  rose  in  arms  against  the  intruders. 
They  consisted  mainly  of  secret  societies  called  "Boxers'" ;  and 
Yu  Hicn,  a  fire-eating  Manchu  governor,  put  swords  in  their 
hands.  From  Shantung  they  moved,  in  1899,  towards  the  capital. 
burning  Christian  villages,  killing  missionaries  and  converts,  tear- 
ing up  the  railway  and  putting  its  builders  to  flight.  The  iron 
road  was  specially  detested  by  boatmen  and  cart  drivers,  who 
found  themselves  thrown  out  of  business. 

The  following  spring  they  menaced  Tientsin  and  actually  pene- 
trated within  the  walls  of  Peking,  threatening  the  lives  of  all  for- 
eigners and  burning  all  shops  for  the  sale  of  foreign  goods. 

The  Chinese  ministers  objected  to  any  reinforcement  of  the  le- 
gation guards  ;  yet  a  small  force  was  brought  up  without  their 
consent,  and  entered  the  gates  only  a  daj^  or  two  before  the  de- 
struction of  the  Tientsin  railway.  But  for  their  opportune  ar- 
rival the  whole  foreign  community  must  have  perished. 

On  the  19th  of  June  a  combined  naval  force  stormed  the  forts 
and  advanced  to  the  relief  of  Tientsin.  This  the  Chinese  Foreign 
Office  chose  to  guard  not  as  a  measure  imposed  by  necessity 
but  as  an  act  of  war  and  ordered  the  legations  to  quit  Peking  with 
all  their  people  in  twenty-four  hours.  That  meant  slaughter  at 
the  hands  of  Boxers  or  Imperial  soldiers  who  now  fraternized 
with  them  ;  and  who  had  killed  a  secretary  of  the  Japanese  lega- 
tion some  days  previous.  The  ministers  declined  to  go,  and  Baron 
Kcttler,  the  German  minister,  was  on  his  way  to  the  Foreign  Of- 
fice, to  lodge  a  protest  and  to  obtain  an  extension  of  time  when, 
on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  he  was  shot  dead  by  a  soldier  in 
imiform.  His  secretary,  though  wounded,  gave  the  alarm.  The 
whole  community,  including  native  Christians,  at  once  took  refuge 
in  the  British  legation  ;  with  the  exception  of  Bishop  Favier  and 
three  thousand  converts,  who,  with  the  aid  of  forty  marines,  de- 
fended themselves  in  the  new  cathedral. 

Both  places  were  attacked  with  great  fury  the  same  evening; 
the  attacks  were  daily  renewed  ;  and  daily  repelled  through  eight 


4  The  End  of  The  Cycle 

weeks  of  agony ;  when  the  siege  was  raised  by  the  capture  of  the 
capital,  on  the  14th  of  August,  by  a  combined  force  under  the 
flags  of  eight  nations.  The  next  day  the  Court  fled  to  the  north- 
west. 

The  twentieth  century  opened,  with  the  capital  still  under  the 
heels  of  foreign  soldiers.  Its  rulers  had  provoked  destruction ; 
and  dismemberment  would  have  been  no  wrong;  but  in  the  final 
settlement  it  was  agreed  to  recall  the  Emperor  to  prevent  anarchy 
among  the  people  and  conflict  between  foreign  claimants.  That 
decision  was  largely  due  to  the  fine  record  which  he  had  estab- 
lished as  a  progressive  prince. 

The  Dowager  was  not  invited  to  retiirn. — How  then  came  she 
to  be  reinstated  after  having  made  herself  responsible  for  the 
atrocities  of  the  Boxers?  Simply  because  .she  was  not  forbidden 
to  return.  Had  she  been  debarred,  the  Emperor  could  not  have 
come.  He  having  accepted  the  invitation,  she  came  with  him ;  and 
he  took  as  before  an  humble  seat  at  her  feet.  Such  in  China  is 
filial  duty  and  such  is  maternal  power. 

The  Southern  viceroys  had  refused  to  obey  a  secret  decree 
ordering  the  massacre  of  foreigners.  The  war  was  thus  confined 
to  the  North ;  and  a  final  settlement  was  easy. 

IV.    The  W.m<;ing  of  the  Giant 

It  required  five  wars  and  over  sixty  years  to  effect  the  complete 
opening  of  China  to  intercourse  on  equal  terms.  The  first  war 
opened  five  ports,  the  second  war  opened  as  many  in  addition,  l)e- 
sides  admitting  missionaries  to  all  parts  of  the  empire. 

The  third,  a  petty  war  with  France,  had  no  distinct  result  apart 
from  securing  to  the  latter  the  undisturbed  possession  of  Indo- 
China.  That  with  Japan  was  an  eye-opener  lieyond  all  precedent 
— leading,  as  above  noted,  to  startling  movements  in  the  way  of 
reform.  These  efforts  towards  reform  excited  reaction ;  and 
ended  in  the  Boxer  war — the  last  act  in  a  long  drama.  Looking 
back,  the  eye  of  faith  can  discover  a  Divine  hand  controlling  the 
shifting  scenes. 

By  such  discipline  has  China  been  brought  at  last  to  renounce 
organized  opposition  ;  and  to  resolve  on  absorbing  such  elements 
of  Christian  civilization  as  she  sees  in  Japan,  That  puri)ose  has 
been  deepened  by  the  result  of  the  Russo-Japanese  conflict;  in 
which  she  was  only  indirectly  interested  ;  leading  her  to  try  to 
learn  the  secret  of  national  renovation. 

Can  there  be  a  doubt  that  the  early  decades  of  the  present  cen- 
tury will  witness  the  rise  of  a  new  China — destined  to  play  an  im- 
portant part  on  the  world's  great  stage?  W.  A.  P.   M. 

Nczv  York,  December,  1905. 

P.  S. — For  details  of  the  Boxer  War  and  other  movements  see 
"Siege  in  Peking." — Fleming  H.  Revell  Company. 


TO    MY    GRANDCHILDREN, 

AND    TO    THE    PEOPLE    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES, 

YOUNG    AND     OLD,    I     DEDICATE    THIS     VOLUME,    IN     THE     HOPE     OF 

INTERESTING   THEM    IN    THE    FUTURE    OF    A    GREAT    NATION, 

WITH    WHICH    OUR    RELATIONS    MUST    EVER 

BECOME    CLOSER    AND    MORE 

IxMPORTANT. 


"  On  s  'oublie  en  parlant  de  soi." 

Prosper  Merimee. 

"  Schreiben  Sie  aus  dem  Gedachtniss  auf,  was  Sie  sich  besinnen— niclit 
aus  der  Phantasie." 

W.  VON  Humboldt. 


PREFACE 

I]^ROM  the  prelude  to  China's  first  war  with  England  to  the 
present  date  is,  roughly  speaking,  about  sixty  years — the 
length  of  a  Chinese  cycle,  though  for  all  I  know  Tennyson 
may  have  thought  of  it  as  a  thousand  years.  To  this  period 
the  following  pages  principally  relate.  During  three  fourths 
of  it  I  was  domiciled  in  China,  dividing  my  life  between  South 
and  North,  and  adding  to  the  experiences  of  a  missionary 
those  of  an  employee  of  the  Chinese  government.  For  two 
years  I  served  my  own  country  at  a  critical  epoch,  when  the 
treaties  were  negotiated  which  led  to  the  opening  of  Peking. 

My  position  in  a  college  closely  connected  with  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Affairs  gave  me  exceptional  opportunities  for  ob- 
serving the  course  of  diplomacy  in  the  Chinese  capital  for 
nearly  thirty  years.  Yet  my  object  is  not  so  much  to  write  a 
history  of  events  as  to  exhibit  the  Chinese  as  I  have  seen 
them,  in  their  social  and  political  life.  To  some  the  personal 
element  will  add  interest ;  to  all,  I  would  fain  hope,  it  will  add 
confidence. 

Should  the  volume  fall  into  the  hands  of  any  of  my  old 
students,  they  will,  I  trust,  find  in  it  the  same  sympathetic 
appreciation  of  their  country  and  the  same  candor  of  critici.sm 
which,  I  am  sure,  they  have  learned  to  expect. 

W.  A.  P.  M. 

Audubon  Park,  New  York  City. 


The  Cvcle  of  Cathay. 
The  Chinese  Cycle  consists  of  sixty  years,  each  with  a  separate  name. 
Their  names  are  here  ranged  in  the  outer  circle,  raid  read  from  the  top 
towards  the  left  hand.  The  present  year  (1896)  is  the  3nd  of  the  76th 
Cycle  from  the  beginning  of  the  Cyclic  era.  The  figures  in  the  inner 
space  are  the  dual  forces,  Yin  and  Yang,  symbolized  by  darkness  and  light, 
which  form  the  starting  point  of  Chinese  philosophy. 


CONTENTS 


PART    I 

LIFE    IN    SOUTH    CHINA 

PAGE 

CHAP.  I.  First  Glimpses  of  Chlna:  Policy  of  seclusion— Opium 
war — Hong  Kong — Canton  —  Foot-binding — Macao — The  coolie- 
trade — The  "  term  question  " 17 

CHAP.  II.  Voyage  up  the  Coast:  Amoy— Opening  of  a  new 
church  —  Fuchau  —  Buddhism  —  Civil-service  examinations  — 
Fungshiii,  or  geomancy — Missions — A  glance  at  the  map 36 

CHAP.  III.  Learning  the  Language:  Two  forms  and  many 
dialects  —  Musical  tones  —  Reducing  a  dialect  to  writing — Clas- 
sical studies — "Pidgin-English  " 51 

CHAP.  IV.  Scenes  IN  Ningpo:  The  new  church  — Natives  seeking 
a  lost  soul — Well-disposed;  why? — Study  of  Mandarin — Tried 
converts  —  Chapel  preaching — Casting  out  a  devil  —  Idol  proces- 
sions— Theatricals  for  the  gods — The  Chinese  drama — Eyeless 
deities — Releasing  a  prisoner — Military  antics 65 

CHAP.  V.  Scenes  and  Incidents:  A  liberal  Buddhist— Cunning 
beggars  —  Invocation  of  devils  —  Imprecations  and  curses  —  Curi- 
ous commemorations — Women  at  a  temple — Avatar  of  rain-god 
—  Chasing  the  flood-fiend— Evils  of  opium 77 

CHAP.  VI.  Scenes  and  Incidents  {Continued):  A  model  riot- 
Portuguese  violence  and  Chinese  revenge — Bull-fights  —  Passion 
for  gambling — Mixed  marriages — The  palace  of  ceremony — 
Honors  to  a  laureate — An  earthquake,  and  its  effects— Taoist 
and  Taoism 91 

7 


8  CONTEXTS 

PACE 

CHAP.  VII.  Excursions  in  the  Province:  A  fair  valley  and  a 
foul  crime — The  baby-tower — Preaching  in  Examination  Hall  — 
Brownsville  and  exogamy  —  A  stage  for  a  pulpit — Country  hos- 
pitality —  Village  feuds  —  The  provincial  capital  —  A  Chinese 
Venice — Tomb  of  an  emperor — The  flood  in  China — Stupid 
models  —  Clever  lawyers 107 

CHAP.  VIII.  Visits  to  the  Islands:  Chusan  — Queer  ways  of 
fishing — Puto — Priests,  temples,  and  human  sacrifices  —  Pirates 

—  Experience  as  a  prisoner 117 

CHAP.  IX.  The  Taiping  Rebellion:  On  the  Great  River— A 
modern    Mohammed — Mixed    Christianity — Foreign  opposition 

—  A  questionable  policy 127 

CHAP.  X.  The  "Arrow"  War:  Expedition  to  the  North- 
Fruitless  negotiations  —  Capture  of  Taku 143 

CHAP.  XI.   TiKNi'SiN  AND  the  Tkeaiies  :  Tartar  plenipotentiaries 

—  Pourparlers  and  signature —ICpisodes,  tragic  and  comic — The 
whole  a  mirage    165 

CHAP.  XII.  The  War  Renewed:  Repulse  of  Allies  at  Taku  — 
Mr.  Ward's  visit  to  Peking — Reception  by  the  viceroy — Journey 
overland  —  Ascent  of  Peiho — Scurvy  treatment  —  Refusal  of  koto 

—  Expulsion  from  the  capital  —  Exchange  of  treaty — A  strange 
presentiment 190 

CHAP.  XIII.   Last  Views  of  Ningpo:   A  Chinese  steamer  and 

its  owner — A  steamer  short  of  coal — Actors  before  the  curtain.  .    204 


PART    II 

LIFE    IN    N(JRTH    CHINA 

CHAP.  I.    Remo\'AL  to  Picking:   The  capital  captured  —  Scenes  at 

the  hills  —  Temples  and  priests 217 

CHAP.  II.  h'lKsr  \'i:ai<s  in  Pit-iing:  \\'ar  averted  — International 
law  introduced  —  .'\  school  opened  —  Odd  notions  of  natur:\l 
pliilosophy  —  t.'luircli  and  mission  —  (^ueer  converts 230 


CONTENTS  9 

PAGK 

CHAP.  III.  The  Great  Wall  and  Sacred  Places  of  Peking: 
Altar  of  heaven  —  Lama  temple — Bridge  in  palace  grounds  — 
Mosque  and  pavilion— The  Yellow  Temple — Great  Bell  of 
Peking — Tombs  of  Ming  emperors  —  Hot  Springs — Grand  Pass 
and  Great  Wall — Sketch  of  history — The  empress  dowager  ....    242 

CHAP.  IV.  Visit  to  a  Colony  of  Jews:  Rough  vehicles— Primi- 
tive roads — Alarm-beacons  —  Hills  and  minerals  —  Wretched  inns 
—  People  and  cities — Moslems  and  Jews  .  , 265 

CPIAP.  V.  Pilgrimage  to  the  Tomb  of  Confucius  :  The  Yellow 
River ;  its  new  course ;  periodic  changes — Temple  and  sepul- 
cher — Outline  of  Confucianism — The  state  religion — The  three 
creeds  blended — The  Grand  Canal 280 

CHAP.  VI.  The  Tungwen  College:  Made  president— School  of 
Interpreters — Attempt  to  introduce  the  telegraph — Opposition 
to  improvements  —  Ill-starred  professors — An   eccentric  German  293 

CHAP.  VII.  TheTungwen  College  (C(^«//';/«<'(/) :  Cradleof  an  em- 
press—  Our  college  press — Two  observatories  and  two  astronomies 
— Opposition  to  the  college — Superstition  in  high  places — Old 
students — Theemperor  learning  English  —  Official  appointments  — 
Introduction  of  science  into  examinations  for  civil  service — Trans- 
lation of  books  —  Medical  class  and  Chinese  medicine — Wedded 
to  ceremony — General  Grant's  visit — Religious  impressions  ....    306 

CHAP.  VIII.  Mandarins  and  Government — The  Tsungli 
Yamen  :  Mandarins  not  a  caste — Their  grades,  their  training, 
their  virtues  and  defects  —  Independence  of  the  people — Limi- 
tations of  monarchy — Formation  and  character  of  the  Yamen — 
Strange  recruits 328 

CHAP.  IX.  Notable  Mandarins:  A  prince  of  the  blood— A 
Chinese  statesman  —  A  Chinese  scholar — A  Manchu  scholar — A 
Manchu  statesman — A  Chinese  diplomat — A  Chinese  professor  344 

CHAP.  X.  Early  Diplom.\tic  Missions  from  China  to  the 
West:  Pin's  voyages — The  Burlingame  embassy — First  mis- 
sion to  France — First  to  England — First  to  Germany — Chinese 
students  in  the  United  States  — Coolies  in  Cuba — Chunghau's 
mistakes  —  Marquis  Tseng's  successes 371 

CHAP.  XL  China  and  her  Neighbors  :  Relations  with  Russia 
— With  Great  Britain — With  France — Aims  of  Germany — The 
four  powers 3^7 


JO  CONTENTS 

VKGE 

CHAP.  XII.  China  and  her  Neighbors  {Continued):  Relations 
with  Japan — Ancient  hostility  —  Recent  war — Japan's  renovation 

—  Her  field  for  expansion — China's  relations  with  the  United 
States — American  influence — American  trade 400 

CHAP.  XIII.  Sir  Robert  Hart  and  the  Customs  Service: 

—  His  influence  not  confined  to  the  customs — How  he  made 
peace  with  France — How  he  has  pioneered  improvements  in 
China — The  service  international  in  membership — Its  high  char- 
acter— Its  influence  not  ephemeral — Originating  in  an  accident, 
integrity  has  made  it  permanent — Sir  Robert  declines  to  be  British 
minister — He  wears  the  honors  of  many  nations — His  literary 
tastes — A  reminiscence  of  Dr.  McCosh 411 

CHAP.  XIV.  Sir  Thomas  Wade  and  the  Audience  Question: 
His  career— His  scholarship — His  temper  —  His  diplomacy — 
Attempt  at  social  intercourse  with  mandarins — The  audience  cere- 
mony— The  spell  only  half  broken 427 

CHAP.  XV.  The  Missionary  Question  :  Retrospect— The  age  of 
persecution — Toleration  by  edict  —  Religious  liberty  by  treaty- 
Right  of  residence  in  the  interior — The  French  protectorate 
of  Roman  Catholic  missions — The  recent  riots:  their  cause  and 
cure — The  outlook 439 

Appendix  :  Tables  of  Population,  Trade,  etc 459 

Index 461 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS* 

PAGE 

Chinese  Women  at  Home Frontispiece 

A  Cycle  of  Cathay 6 

The  CIardener  at  ^YoRK 30 

Execution  of  an  Opium-s.muggi.er 35 

Wheel  of   Fate 39 

A  Common  Sedan 40 

Ikricating  Rice-fields 50 

A  Canal  ix  Ninc^.po To  face     51 

The  Thunder-c.od   Hurling  Death-bolts 71 

A  Group  of  Beggars 76 

The  Watmilung  or  Bob-tailed  Dragon,  Fired    on    by    Im- 
pious Foreigners  84 

Opium-smoker's  Progress— Past,  Present,  Future 87 

A  Student  in  his  Library  Smoking  Opium 90 

The  Palace  of   Ceremony 99 

Raising  Money  for  a  Taoist  Temple 105 

The  "  Old  Philosopher  " 106 

A  Family  at  Breakfast in 

West  Lake  at  Hangchau To  face  113 

*  Most  of  these  illustrations  are  from  drawings  by  native  artists.  Their  obvious  de- 
fects, therefore,  are  not  without  merit,  as  ilhistrative  of  Chinese  art.  A  few  of  the  larger 
prints  are  borrowed  by  consent  of  the  publishers  (Sampson  Low  &  Co.)  from  a  splendid 
work  of  Mr.  J.  Thomson,  whom,  in  1871,  I  introduced  to  Prince  Kung  and  the  ministers 
of  state,  and  whom  I  as.sisted  in  procuring  photographs  connected  with  the  Tsungli  Ya- 
men.  The  dragon  on  the  cover  is  an  imperial  emblem,  copied  from  a  book  of  decrees 
by  the  Emperor  Kanghi.  An  imperial  dragon  is  always  represented  as  having  golden 
scales  and  five  claws.    The  cycle  on  the  cover  is  explained  on  page  6.  —  W.  A.  P.  M. 

II 


12  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The  Night  Patrol ii8 

A  Buddhist  Monk  Beating  a  Wooden   Drum 126 

The  God  of  War 142 

Chinese  Portraii -painter 147 

Batteries  at  the  Mouth  of  the   Peiho 149 

Meeting  of  the  United  States  Minister  and  the  Viceroy 

Tan To  face  \  50 

GUNIiOATS  IN  THE  GRAND  CaNAL  ;  TaOISTTeMPLE  AT  THE  JUNCTION    1 66 

Joint  Card  of  Kweiliang  and  IIwashana 167 

Wine  for  the  Minister 177 

KwEi  AND  Hwa  Sendinc;  a  Despatch  to  the  Emperor 185 

A  Street  in  Tientsin To  face  189 

United  States  Embassy  on   i  he  Peiho To  face  197 

The  Embassy  on  the  Road  to  Peking 203 

A  Gate  of  Pekinc;  (One  of  the  sixteen  doul)le  gates  in  tlie  outer 

wall) 216 

Buddhist  Trinity  and  Worshipers To  face  227 

A  Buddhist  Abbot    228 

House  of  the  Man  who  had  Six  Wives To  face  230 

A  Schoolmaster;   One   Pupil  Reciting  with   Back  to    the 

Table  and  One  Doing  Penance 237 

The  Peking  Waterworks 241 

The  Emperor  at  the  Plow 243 

The  Island  Bridge  and  Hill  of  Longevity To  face  244 

Lama  Priest,   Prayer  Wheel,  and  Idols 248 

The  Great  Wall  at  Nankow  Pass To  face  251 

Temple  Attached  to  the  Altar  of  Heaven 264 

Police  Station 267 

My  P>ei)Stead 269 

A   Portable  Kliciien 270 

A  Suburb  of  Peking 279 

("oNTinrs  Gi\'iNG  A  I.Ki'TrRi', 287 

Colossal  Lma(;es — Ming  T()mhs 292 

Dr.  Mariin,  Eirst  PrksidentofiheTunciwen  College..  To  face  293 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIOXS  13 


rAt;R 


Priming  with  Block  and  Bkish 305 

Bakhkr  Shaving  Student's  Head 307 

Pkoi-essor  Li  and  his  Mathematical  Class 312 

Mr.  Chang  Toyi,  English  Tutor  to  the  Emperor  (Summer 

Dress) 316 

Mr.  Shen  Toh,   English  Tutor  to  the  Emperor  (Winter 

Dress) 318 

Mr.  Tching,  Wife,  and  Child 326 

Altar  oy  Heaven 327 

Tsungli  Yamen  and  Ministers  of  State To  face  338 

A  Street  Show  in  Peking 343 

Li  Hung  Chang  at   Fifty 348 

Fan  Presented  to  Dr.  ALvktin  by  the  Marquis  Tseng.  To  face  364 

The  Marquis  Tseng  in  Summer  Dress 365 

The    Bridal   Pair    Worshii'ing   a   Tahi.et    Lnscribkd     with 

THE  Five  Objects  of  Veneration 367 

The   Bridal   Pair    ("Joy"    in    Huge   Letters   ahove   their 

H  eads) To  face  368 

The  Bride  in  the   Flowery  Chair   Arriving  at   her  New 

Home 368 

Ministers  of  the  First  Four  Treaiy  Powers:     Berthemy, 

Vlangali,   Bruce,   Buri.ingame 379 

The  Marquis  Tseng  in  Winter  Dress 385 

Blind  Musician,  by  Profession  a  Fortune-teller 399 

Sir  Robert  Hart,  Baronet 412 

Midway  Arch  in  Pass  at  the  Great  Wall 426 

Hall  of  the  Stone  Classics To  face  447 

Map To  folLnv  464 


PART    I 

LIFE  IN  SOUTH  CHINA 


LIFE  IN  SOUTH  CHINA 


CHAPTER    I 


FIRST    GLIMPSES    OF    CHINA 


Policy  of  seclusion  —  Opium  war  —  Hong  Kong  —  Canton  —  Foot-binding 
—  Macao  —  The  coolie-trade  —  The  "  term  question" 

EARLY  in  the  morning  of  April  lo,  1850,  we*  were 
startled  by  the  cry  of  "  Pirate!  pirate!"  from  our  Dutch 
cabin-boy ;  but  instead  of  those  freebooters,  so  dreaded  in  the 
China  seas,  we  were  boarded  by  a  pilot,  who  soon  brought  the 
good  ship  "  Lantao  "  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong, 
after  a  voyage  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  days  from  Bos- 
ton— a  voyage  which  may  now  be  made  in  one  fifth  of  the 
time.  None  but  those  who  have  worn  out  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  their  lives  in  doubling  capes  and  contending  with  head 
winds,  or  with  still  more  vexatious  calms,  can  properly  appre- 
ciate what  steam  has  done  to  bring  the  ends  of  the  earth  to- 
gether.    The  transformation  may  be  said  to  realize  the  dream 

*  Tliere  were  six  of  us,  namely,  Rev.  Justus  Doolittle,  of  the  American 
Board,  author  of  a  well-known  book  on  the  "  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese  "  ; 
my  brother,  Rev.  S.  N.  D.  Martin,  myself,  and  our  wives,  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Board. 

17 


1 8  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

of  an  ancient  Chinese  fabulist,  who  represents  an  imperial  trav- 
eler as  receiving  from  the  gods  a  whip,  whose  blows  had  the 
effect  of  causing  the  earth  to  shrink  to  small  dimensions.* 

Politically,  the  place  we  saw  before  us  was  not  China ;  the 
little  rocky  islet  having  been  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in  1843, 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  The  conquering  power  might  as 
easily  have  annexed  a  province,  or  a  larger  island  farther  up 
the  coast ;  but  with  the  instinct  of  a  maritime  empire,  which 
has  led  her  to  pick  up  such  rocks  as  Gibraltar  and  IVIalta,  Aden 
and  Singapore,  she  chose  to  retain  none  of  her  conquests  save 
this  sea-girt  mountain.  Hong  Kong  possesses  a  magnificent 
harbor,  easy  to  fortify,  and  commands  not  merely  the  approaches 
to  Canton,  but  the  whole  commerce  of  the  China  coast,  and, 
to  some  extent,  that  of  Japan.  From  a  mere  fishing-village  it 
had  already  grown  to  be  a  thriving  town  ;  and  now  it  is  a  great 
city  of  two  or  three  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  The  Peak 
of  Victoria,  which  we  then  saw  rising  before  us  in  rugged 
majesty,  is  to-day  crowned  with  magnificent  buildings,  to 
which  the  occupants  are  lifted  by  steam ;  and  the  sides  of  the 
mountain,  then  clad  with  tropical  jungle,  are  now  adorned  by 
gay  streets  gleaming  like  golden  bands  on  the  shoulders  of  a 
naval  Atlas. 

One  morning  shortly  after  our  arrival  I  set  out  for  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Peak,  nearly  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  say- 
ing that  I  would  be  home  for  early  breakfast.  Soon,  however, 
the  grassy  carpet  that  seemed  to  extend  to  the  top  resolved 
itself  into  a  network  of  creepers,  overlying  huge  fragments  of 
stone,  and  concealing  cliffs  which  I  had  to  scale  in  my  stock- 
ing-feet. It  was  high  noon  when  I  reached  the  goal,  and  then 
I  discovered  a  beaten  i)ath,  which,  had  I  known  of  it,  would 
have  saved  me  all  that  trouble  and  danger.    I  resolved  thence- 

*  TIic  traveler,  an  historical  cliaractcr,  was  the  luni)eror  Muh,  who 
reigned  1000  li.c.  The  fiction,  founded  on  his  travels,  is  as  old  as  the 
era  of  the  Punic  Wars. 


FIRST  GLIMPSES   OF  CHINA  19 

forth  not  to  attack  a  difficulty  until  I  had  surveyed  it  on  all 
sides. 

We  were  kindly  lodged  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson, 
of  the  American  Baptist  Mission,  who  made  us  feel  at  home 
by  permitting  us  to  pay  our  proportion  of  his  family  expenses 
— an  arrangement  indispensable  for  those  missionaries  who,  liv- 
ing on  grand  routes  of  travel,  keep  open  house  for  all  comers. 

My  brother  proceeded  to  the  North  in  the  "  Lady  Mary 
Wood,"  the  only  steamer  then  plying  on  a  coast  where  there 
are  now  literally  thousands,  large  and  small.  The  rate  of  pas- 
sage to  Shanghai  was  exorbitant  (about  two  hundred  dollars  in 
gold) ;  and  to  save  expense,  as  well  as  to  get  a  view  of  several 
seaports  on  the  way,  my  wife  and  I  preferred  to  join  a  party 
in  chartering  a  Portuguese  schooner,  or  lorcha.  Before  going 
to  bed  on  the  day  of  our  arrival — my  birthday  as  well  as  my 
entrance  on  a  new  life — I  wrote  in  my  journal  a  long  series 
of  good  resolutions.  Luckily  they  were  lost  at  sea,  otherwise 
the  contrast  between  purpose  and  attainment  might  now  have 
been  too  humiliating.  A  retrospect  is  here  required  as  a  key 
to  the  situation. 

My  interest  in  China  was  first  awakened  in  1839  by  the 
boom  of  British  cannon  battering  down  her  outer  walls.  In 
the  case  of  China,  as  in  that  of  Japan,  the  policy  of  seclusion 
was  recent,  and  was  adopted  by  both  for  the  same  reason. 
China  had  always  prided  herself  on  having  distant  nations 
knock  at  her  doors ;  and  she  encouraged  them  to  come  in  by 
allowing  their  tribute  missions  to  carry  on  trade  duty-free. 
But  a  change  of  policy  came  with  the  discovery  of  a  new 
route  to  the  East  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  When  she  saw 
Europeans  arrive  with  stronger  ships  and  better  artillery  than 
her  own,  her  fears  began  to  be  excited.  \Vhen  she  observed 
them  pocketing  the  islands  of  the  Eastern  seas,  and  contend- 
ing for  fragments  of  the  empire  of  her  kinsman,  the  C.reat 
Mogul,  she  deemed  it  prudent  to  close  her  ports,  leaving  the 


2  0  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

gates  ajar  at  one  point  only,  namely,  Canton,  the  emporium 
of  the  South. 

The  impression  made  by  the  unscrupulous  aggressions  of 
European  adventurers  is  well  set  forth  in  a  fictitious  narrative 
called  "  The  Magic  Carpet,"  written  by  a  Chinese  author  two 
centuries  ago.  "  In  the  days  of  the  Ming  dynasty,"  says  this 
Oriental  apologue,  "a  ship  of  the  red-haired  barbarians  came 
to  one  of  our  southern  seaports  and  requested  permission  to 
trade.  This  being  refused,  the  strangers  begged  to  be  allowed 
the  use  of  so  much  ground  as  they  could  cover  with  a  carpet, 
for  the  purpose  of  drying  their  goods.  Their  petition  was 
granted ;  and,  taking  the  carpet  by  the  corners,  they  stretched 
it  until  there  was  room  for  a  large  body  of  men,  who,  drawing 
their  swords,  took  possession  of  the  city." 

Japan  at  this  period  excluded  all  but  the  Dutch  and  the 
Chinese ;  but  the  merchants  of  those  favored  nations  had  to 
submit  to  be  locked  up  at  night  like  malefactors.  China  was 
more  impartial,  admitting  all  comers,  and  treating  all  with 
equal  indignity  and  suspicion.  Like  Japan,  she  turned  the 
missionaries  out  of  doors  and  banished  or  butchered  their 
converts,  lest  a  religious  propaganda  should  pave  the  way  for 
political  encroachment.  The  merchants  she  allowed  to  re- 
side at  Canton  for  only  a  short  time  in  the  year ;  and,  with  a 
natural  prevision,  slie  ol)jected  to  their  bringing  their  wives, 
since  that  indicated  a  disposition  to  stay.  ^J'he  first  woman  to 
set  this  restriction  at  defiance  was  the  wife  of  an  English  super- 
intendent of  trade,  and  cannon  had  to  be  planted  before  lier 
door  to  deter  the  natives  from  attelnpting  her  expulsion. 
Foreigners  were  confined  to  a  suburb,  and  on  no  account  were 
they  permitted  to  enter  tlie  gates  of  tlie  city.  What  is  more 
significant  is  that  native  scholars  were  forbidden  to  tcacli  them 
the  mysteries  of  the  Chinese  written  language.  A  teacher  en- 
gaged by  r)r.  Morrison,  tlic  first  I'lnglish  missionary,  always  car- 
ried poison,  so  as  to  be  able  bv  suicide  to  escape  the  clutches 


F/J^S7^  GLIMPSES   OF  CHINA  21 

of  the  mandarins  should  lie  fall  into  their  hands  on  the  charge 
of  being  guilty  of  so  heinous  a  crime.  The  reign  of  terror  was 
somewhat  mitigated  when  a  teacher  in  the  employ  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liams, one  of  our  earliest  American  missionaries,  was  known  in 
his  comings  and  goings  to  bear  in  his  hand  an  old  shoe,  that 
he  might,  in  an  emergency,  pass  himself  off  for  a  cobbler. 

The  conflict  that  put  an  end  to  this  cowardly  policy  bears 
the  malodorous  name  of  the  "  opium  war  "  ;  conveying  an  im- 
pression that  it  was  waged  by  England  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
compelling  the  Chinese  to  keep  an  open  market  for  that  pro- 
duct of  her  Indian  poppy-fields.  Nothing  could  be  more  er- 
roneous. Grievances  had  been  accumulating  such  as  a  self- 
respecting  people  cannot  endure  forever.  "  For  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  up  to  the  year  1842,"  says  Dr.  Williams,  "a 
leading  grievance  was  that  proclamations  were  annually  issued 
by  the  government  accusing  foreigners  of  horrible  crimes."  In 
1816  a  British  ambassador  had  been  refused  an  audience  by 
the  emperor  because  he  declined  to  do  homage  by  performing 
the  Koto^  or  Nine  Prostrations.  In  1834  Lord  Napier,  Brit- 
ish superintendent  of  trade,  was  not  only  denied  an  interview 
with  the  governor  of  Canton,  but  his  letters  were  rejected  be- 
cause they  were  not  stamped  with  the  word////  ("petition  "), 
a  word  which  in  Chinese  expresses  abject  inferiority.  Either 
of  these  indignities — not  to  enumerate  others — might  have  fur- 
nished ground  for  a  just  war ;  and  if  England  had  promptly 
appealed  to  arms  to  prevent  violence  and  vindicate  honor,  her 
record  would  have  stood  fairer  than  unhappily  it  does  now. 
Interest  had  to  combine  with  indignation  before  she  could  be 
roused  to  action. 

Her  opportunity,  however,  came  when  the  Emperor  Tao- 
kwang  despatched  a  high  commissioner  to  Canton  to  fill  the 
office  of  viceroy  and  put  a  stop  to  the  traffic  in  opium.  The 
drug  was  already  contraband  bv  imperial  decree  ;  England  had 
made  no  protest ;  nor  would  she  have  lifted  a  finger  to  pro- 


2  2  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

tect  her  people  in  their  smuggling  trade  if  Chinese  cruisers  had 
driven  them  from  the  coast.  But  when  Commissioner  Lin  is- 
sued commands  to  the  Queen  as  a  vassal  of  China,  and  treated 
her  subjects  with  unjustifiable  violence,  the  question  entered 
upon  another  phase.  The  opium  was  stored  on  ships  that  lay- 
outside  among  the  islands,  but  its  owners  were  at  Canton. 
Without  taking  the  trouble  to  identify  them,  the  commissioner 
surrounded  the  factories  with  a  cordon  of  soldiers  and  threat- 
ened the  whole  foreign  colony  with  death  if  their  opium  was 
not  surrendered  by  a  fixed  date.  To  give  them  an  idea  of 
what  they  had  to  expect,  a  native  opium-smuggler  had  shortly 
before  been  put  to  death  in  an  open  spot  in  front  of  the 
factories. 

Captain  Elliot,  the  superintendent  of  trade,,  who  was  at 
IMacao,  hearing  of  these  high-handed  proceedings,  hastened  to 
Canton  to  share  the  perils  of  his  countrymen.  Without  him- 
self having  the  least  sympathy  with  their  illicit  commerce,  he 
called  upon  them  to  deliver  their  opium  to  him  for  the  service 
of  the  Queen,  and  then  handed  it  over  to  the  viceroy  as  a  ran- 
som for  British  lives.  Over  twenty  thousand  chests,  valued  at 
nine  million  dollars,  were  then  destroyed  by  mixing  the  drug 
with  quicklime  and  pouring  it  into  the  river.  This  property 
having  been  demanded  by  her  representative  for  her  service, 
the  Queen  was  pledged  to  see  that  the  owners  were  indemni- 
fied. An  order  in  council  authorized  reprisals,  to  compel  the 
Chinese  to  make  amends  for  their  act  of  spoliation.  Thus 
began  a  war  which  was  more  fortunate  for  England  than  that 
which  followed  the  destruction  of  her  tea  in  Boston  harbor. 
After  many  battles,  in  all  of  which  the  Chinese  were  worsted, 
it  ended  in  the  treaty  of  1842,  by  which  the  five  ports  of  Can- 
ton, Amoy,  Fuchau,  Ningpo,  and  Shanghai  were  opened  to 
British  trade.  Not  a  word  was  inserted  in  the  treaty  in  favor 
of  the  trade  in  oi)ium  ;  yet  the  result  was,  as  foreseen,  a  com- 
plete immunity  from  interference  ;  and  the  traffic  flourished  be- 


FIRST  GLIMPSES  OF  CHlXA  23 

yond  measure,  the  traders  having  nothing  to  fear  and  no  duties 
to  pay.  Had  England,  after  exacting  due  reparation,  intro- 
duced a  prohibition  clause,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  China 
might  have  been  freed  from  a  terrible  scourge.  What  a  con- 
trast between  her  opium  policy  and  her  antislavery  legislation ! 

In  the  treaties  which  followed  with  France  and  the  United 
States  (1844)  the  subject  of  opium  was  likewise  ignored.  Had 
Mr.  Gushing  at  that  early  date  placed  the  abominable  traffic 
under  the  ban  of  the  law,  and  induced  France  to  do  likewise, 
the  moral  effect  could  not  have  failed  to  be  excellent.  But 
when  j\Ir.  Angell  condemned  it  in  his  treaty,  nearly  forty  years 
later,  it  was  then  too  late.  At  the  instance  of  the  French  min- 
ister, the  persecuting  edicts  were  withdrawn.  Christian  exiles 
were  recalled  from  banishment,  and  the  propagation  of  the  faith 
was  formally  sanctioned.  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  had 
never  ceased  to  carry  on  a  secret  propaganda,  but  they  now 
entered  the  country  in  greater  numbers,  and  Protestants  began 
to  establish  themselves  in  the  "  open  ports."  Such  was  the 
state  of  things  at  the  date  of  my  arrival. 

While  waiting  for  our  vessel  we  made  a  visit  to  Canton.  A 
small  steamer  carried  us  across  the  bay  and  forty  miles  up  the 
Pearl  River  to  a  landing-place  in  a  suburb  of  the  great  city. 
Our  host,  Dr.  Happer,  was  there  to  receive  us,  and  we  made 
our  way  to  his  house  through  a  forest  of  junks,  in  a  small  boat 
sculled  by  a  large-footed  woman  — a  fine  specimen  of  nature 
undeformed.  It  was  the  abode  of  a  family,  who  crowded 
themselves  into  a  stern  cabin,  leaving  for  the  use  of  passengers 
the  front  cabin,  which  was  neatly  spread  with  matting  and 
adorned  with  flowers.  Babies  born  on  these  boats  are  aquatic 
by  early  habit,  if  not  by  instinct.  It  is  said  that  they  can  swim 
when  first  thrown  into  the  water ;  but,  in  case  of  accident,  they 
always  have  a  joint  of  bamboo  strapped  on  the  back,  to  en- 
able their  parents  to  fish  them  up.  The  river  population  would 
alone  suffice  to  people  a  considerable  city.    It  consists  of  three 


24  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

classes :  the  crews  of  junks  that  come  and  go ;  those  who  hve 
and  make  their  hving  on  the  river ;  and  those  who  do  business 
on  land  but  lodge  in  boats  for  the  want  of  a  pied-a-terre. 
Among  the  boats  moored  to  the  shore  a  large  number  are  richly- 
curtained  and  ornamented  with  beautiful  carvings.  These  are 
the  so-called  "  flower-boats,"  mostly  the  abode  of  bedizened 
Cyprians,  who  are  enrolled  by  the  police  and  recognized  as 
pursuing  a  lawful  calling.  The  legal  sanction  of  vice  always 
indicates  a  low  standard  of  morality. 

As  we  stepped  on  shore  we  were  greeted  by  a  hooting  crowd, 
who  shouted  Fajiqui,fajiqid/  sliafo,  shatol  ("Foreign  devils! 
cut  off  their  heads!").  "Is  this,"  I  mused,  "the  boasted  civ- 
ilization of  China?  Are  these  the  people  for  whom  I  left  my 
home?  "  But,  I  reflected,  if  they  were  not  heathen,  why  should 
I  have  come?  They  looked  as  savage  and  as  fierce  as  canni- 
bals—the junkmen  being  always  half-naked.  Not  long  before 
this  Dr.  Ball,  an  old  missionary,  being  thrown  into  the  water 
by  the  overturning  of  a  boat,  caught  the  cable  of  a  junk  and 
called  for  help.  He  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  number  of 
small  craft,  but  not  one  of  their  greedy  occupants  would  take 
him  ashore  until  a  promise  of  twenty  dollars  had  been  extorted. 
Whether  that  is  to  be  set  down  to  hostility  or  to  cupidity,  I 
leave  the  reader  to  decide. 

Canton  having  been  held  to  ransom  instead  of  being  taken 
by  British  troops  in  the  first  war,  the  native  insolence  of  the 
people  was  in  no  degree  abated.  They  even  pretended  that 
their  assailants  were  driven  away ;  and  it  is  said  they  erected 
a  monument  to  commemorate  their  victory!  In  the  second 
war,  which  occurred  in  1857,  the  Allies,  now  grown  wiser,  took 
good  care  to  occupy  the  city.  A  great  change  was  visible  in 
the  disposition  of  the  inhabitants  ;  but  a  generation  has  passed 
since  then,  and  they  now  seem  to  need  another  lesson. 

I  observed  that  the  heads  of  the  men  were  covered  with  a 
coat  of  .short  frowzy  hair,  in  striking  contrast  with  the  shining 


FJKST  GLIMPSES   OF  ClIIXA  25 

scalps  we  had  seen  in  Hong  Kong.  The  difference  was  due  to 
the  recent  death  of  the  Emperor  Taokwang,  for  whom  a  rigid 
mourning  of  a  hundred  days  was  exacted  of  all  under  the  scep- 
ter of  China.  In  ordinary  times,  for  a  Chinese  to  let  his  hair 
grow  is  to  risk  his  head  ;  nor  is  it  less  perilous  to  shave  it  dur- 
ing a  period  of  mourning.  After  the  death  of  the  Emperor 
Tungchih,  in  1874,  an  officer  in  Yunnan  was  cashiered  for  call- 
ing his  barber  a  few  days  too  soon.  The  cue  and  the  tonsure 
are  emblems  of  subjection  imposed  on  the  men  by  their  Tartar 
conquerors  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  They  did  not, 
however,  interfere  with  the  women,  who,  uninfluenced  by  the 
ladies  of  the  court,  persist  in  compressing  their  feet  and  in  dress- 
ing their  hair  in  a  style  different  from  that  of  the  Manchus. 

The  whimsical  fashion  which  condemns  Chinese  women  to 
totter  on  their  tiptoes  is  said  in  the  Kifigyiieii,  or  "  Mirror 
of  Research,"  to  have  originated  between  300  and  500  a.d.  ; 
but  native  scholars  generally  maintain  that  the  custom  sprang 
from  emulation  of  Lady  Yang— a  small-footed  Cinderella— 
who  bewitched  the  Emperor  Minghuang  twelve  centuries  ago. 
So  light  was  her  step  that,  Camilla-like,  she  "  skimmed  o'er  the 
unbending  corn,"  or,  as  the  Chinese  say,  "  over  the  tops  of 
golden  lilies  ;"  but  her  imitators  have  since  ceased  either  to  run 
or  to  dance.  The  source  of  many  evils  and  of  no  good  what- 
ever— unless  it  be  that  of  keeping  women  at  home — this  usage 
surpasses  anything  we  meet  with  in  the  West  as  an  example  of 
the  tyranny  of  a  perverted  taste,  the  passion  for  a  waspish  waist 
or  that  for  a  flattened  skull  not  excepted.  These  are  sporadic 
or  tribal ;  the  other  is  national. 

For  thirty  generations  have  the  women  of  China  groaned 
under  the  "torture  of  the  boot"  — what  a  pity  their  daughters 
are  not  born  with  feet  of  the  admired  type!  Unknown  in  the 
days  of  Confucius,  this  practice  has  risen  up  in  defiance  of  his 
maxim  that  "filial  piety  requires  you  to  preserve  your  bodily 
members  entire,  as  you  received  them  from  your  parents." 


26  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

Were  it  connected  with  Buddliism,  its  self-inflicted  torment 
would  be  more  intelligible.  In  no  way  religious  in  origin,  re- 
ligion will  have  to  be  invoked  for  its  abolition,  teaching  Chi- 
nese women  the  sin  of  mutilating  or  distorting  the  Creator's 
workmanship  and  inflicting  cruel  suflferings  on  their  innocent 
offspring.  When  a  tortured  child  shrinks  from  the  ordeal,  she 
is  told  that  she  must  submit  or  become  the  butt  of  ridicule 
and  be  ineligible  in  the  marriage  market. 

The  streets,  which  in  hot  weather  are  completely  shaded  with 
awnings,  are  narrow,  paved  with  flagstones,  and  gay  with  pen- 
dent sign-boards,  the  Chinese  characters  producing  a  fine  pic- 
torial effect.  When  you  stop  to  read  them  the  effect  is  com- 
ical. "  Righteousness  and  Peace,"  "  Benevolence  and  Jus- 
tice," "  Unselfish  Generosity,"  "  Friendship  and  Fidelity,"  and 
a  hundred  other  high-sounding  combinations  are  employed  to  set 
forth  the  virtues  of  the  proprietors.  One  likes  to  sec  prominence 
given  to  the  moral  sentiments,  but  the  suggestion  of  a  differ- 
ence between  profession  and  practice  is  not  agreeable.  The 
wall  which  incloses  the  city  proper  is  of  stone,  and,  were  it  not 
hidden  by  liouses,  forms  a  feature  in  a  landscape  in  which  the 
only  other  objects  that  can  be  called  picturesque  are  an  occa- 
sional pagoda,  two  noble  rivers,  and  the  White  Cloud  Hills, 
seen  in  the  distance.  The  population  of  city  and  suburbs  is 
about  one  million. 

The  foreign  factories,  or  residence  of  the  mercantile  colony, 
we  found  were  in  a  crowded  suburb,  near  one  of  the  gates ; 
but  after  the  second  war  they  were  removed  to  a  pretty  island 
in  the  river  called  Shamien. 

How  happens  it,  it  may  be  asked,  that  a  large  city  like  Can- 
ton is  situated  so  far  from  the  river's  mouth?  The  same  pecu- 
liarity is  to  be  remarked  in  the  case  of  all  Chinese  cities  on 
rivers  emptying  into  the  sea.  Does  it  not  .show  that  inland 
trade  has  been  to  them  a  more  important  factor  than  oceati 
commerce?      Or  were  they  i)laced  at  a  distance  from  the  sea- 


FIRST  GLIMPSES   OF  CI  I IX A  27 

board  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  pirates?  So  rife  was  piracy  in 
the  reign  of  Kanghi  (1662-1723)  that  he  ordered  the  whole 
population  to  remove  inland,  to  the  distance  of  thirty  //,  or  ten 
miles,  in  order  to  starve  out  the  freebooters. 

During  our  ten  days'  sojourn  we  made  the  acquaintance  of 
a  number  of  persons  who  have  left  their  impress  on  the  course 
of  events  in  China.  The  then  British  consul  was  Dr.  (after- 
ward Sir  John)  Eowring,  governor  of  Hong  Kong— poet  and 
linguist.  His  best-known  verses  are  the  missionary  hymns, 
"  Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night,"  and  "  In  the  cross  of  Christ 
I  glory,"  both  so  full  of  faith  and  fervor  that  one  would  hardly 
suspect  their  author  of  being  a  Unitarian. 

Presenting  a  letter  from  one  of  his  American  cousins,  Miss 
Maylin,  a  friend  of  my  wife,  we  were  invited  to  breakfast  at 
the  consulate.  We  met  there  the  captain  of  a  British  man- 
of-war,  to  whom,  as  well  as  to  us,  Dr.  Bowring  expatiated  on 
the  principles  of  the  Peace  Society.  He  maintained  that  all 
wars  might  be  avoided  ;  and,  in  proof  of  the  radical  kindhness 
of  human  nature,  he  told  us  that  he  had  succeeded  in  walking 
around  the  city,  from  the  interior  of  which  foreigners  were  not 
only  excluded,  but  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  they  could 
not  go  about  with  safety.  A  gang  of  roughs  opposed  his  pas- 
sage with  stones  in  their  hands,  but  they  laughed  and  dropped 
their  missiles  when  he  addressed  them  in  their  own  tongue. 
Who  could  have  imagined  that  this  apostle  of  peace  would  be 
the  author  of  the  next  war! 

Dr.  Peter  Parker  was  in  charge  of  a  hospital  which  he  had 
conducted  for  many  years.  He  called  it  an  ophthalmic  hos- 
pital, because  the  skilled  treatment  of  the  eye  made  then,  as 
it  still  does,  the  deepest  impression  on  the  Chinese.  The  hos- 
pital walls,  however,  were  embellished  with  drawings  of  cap- 
ital operations  in  more  than  one  department  of  surgery.  The 
first  sermon  I  heard  in  Chinese  was  from  Dr.  Parker's  lips,  ad- 
dressed to  a  crowd  who  were  waitinsx  for  the  moving  of  the 


28  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

waters.  He  afterward  became  United  States  minister,  retired 
to  Washington,  and  closed  his  days  in  a  sumptuous  dweUing 
near  the  Presidential  mansion.  His  fame,  however,  rests  on 
his  work  as  a  pioneer  of  medical  missions. 

Still  more  distinguished  was  the  career  of  Dr.  S.  Wells  Wil- 
liams. Missionary,  diplomatist,  and  sinologue,  his  life  was 
many-sided,  and  in  every  situation  he  displayed  a  phenomenal 
power  of  systematic  industry.  Beginning  as  a  printer  to  the 
American  Board  Mission,  and  entering  the  diplomatic  service 
only  wlien  his  printing-office  had  been  destroyed  in  a  confla- 
gration of  the  foreign  settlement,  he  closed  his  life  in  China  by 
being  charge  iVaffaircs  for  the  ninth  time.  The  government 
might  have  honored  itself  by  making  him  minister.  "  The  fact 
is,"  said  Secretary  Seward,  when  asked  why  it  had  not  done 
so,  "  we  have  found  him  indispensable  as  a  secretary  of  lega- 
tion." Ministers  might  come  and  go,  but  he  remained  to  pilot 
the  new-comers  and  aid  each  by  his  wisdom  and  experience. 
Much  as  he  was  able  to  accomplish  in  the  service  of  the  gov- 
ernment, he  has  done  more  as  an  author.  Not  to  speak  of  minor 
publications,  his  "  Middle  Kingdom  "  is  a  storehouse  of  infor- 
mation on  China  not  likely  soon  to  be  superseded.  More  prob- 
lematical is  the  future  of  his  "  Chinese  Dictionary,"  which,  de- 
spite its  many  merits,  can  hardly  hope  for  permanence  with- 
out a  thorough  revision  by  some  one  familiar  with  the  dialects 
of  the  North.  Each  of  these  works  is  broad  enough  for  the 
pedestal  of  a  first-class  reputation.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  former  was  produced  while  he  was  engaged  as  a  mis- 
sionary, and  the  latter  in  such  moments  as  he  could  snatch  from 
his  duties  at  the  legation.  "  Here  is  a  new  page  to  be  written 
for  cternitv,"  he  said  to  me  one  morning  during  our  negotia- 
tions in  Tientsin.  Sucli  was  liis  habitual  feeling  :  each  day  was 
a  divine  gift  to  be  accounted  for:  hence  his  conscientious  in- 
dustry. Besides  contributing  much  to  the  opening  of  China, 
Dr.  Williams  had  a  hand  in  the  opening  of  Japan,  having  learned 


FIRST  GLIMPSES   OF   CIIIiVA  29 

the  language  from  some  shipwrecked  natives,  and  accompanied 
Commodore  Perry  as  interpreter  in  his  expedition  to  tliose  isl- 
ands. I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  refer  to  him  in  the 
sequel. 

The  Rev.  William  Burns,  of  Scotland,  a  prominent  saint  in 
the  missionary  calendar,  I  reserve  to  be  noticed  in  connection 
with  Peking. 

The  Rev.  A.  P.  Happer,  M.D.,  our  host,  was  already  a  man 
of  note.  Trained  for  medical  service,  he  directed  his  energies 
chiefly  to  educational  work  and  the  translation  of  books.  His 
monument  is  the  Christian  college  at  Canton,  From  the  date 
of  this  visit  to  the  close  of  his  life,  in  1894,  he  was  my  friend 
and  correspondent.  His  last  letter  to  me,  perhaps  the  last  he 
ever  sent  to  any  one,  was  dictated  from  his  pillow  on  the  day 
of  his  decease. 

The  Rev.  Issachar  Roberts,  uncouth  and  eccentric,  then  gave 
no  indication  of  the  part  he  was  to  play  in  the  great  events  of 
the  near  future ;  for  it  was  he  on  whom  fell  the  responsibility 
of  giving  shape  to  the  religious  element  in  the  Tai-ping  rebel- 
lion— a  movement  which  but  for  foreign  interference  would 
have  placed  his  pupil  on  the  throne  of  China.  \\\i\\  his  un- 
couthness  Bishop  Smith  had  been  so  impressed  that  he  took 
him  as  an  example  of  the  kind  of  man  who  ought  not  to  be  sent 
out,  adding,  however,  the  pious  reflection,  "  Yet  who  knows 
but  that  God  may  have  something  for  him  to  do?  for  he  often 
chooses  weak  things  to  confound  the  mighty."  "  This  sen- 
tence," said  the  bishop,  speaking  to  me  long  afterward,  "  Rob- 
erts accepted  as  a  prophecy,  and  bound  it  as  a  crown  of  glory 
on  his  head  at  a  time  when  he  had  become  famous  as  the 
teacher  of  a  possible  emperor."  An  instance  of  Mr.  Roberts's 
eccentricity  is  worth  telling.  A  young  missionary,  in  a  fit  of 
melancholy,  attempted  suicide,  and  when  discovered  was  slowly 
bleeding  to  death.  A  young  woman,  perhaps  the  innocent  cause 
of  the  tragedy,  ran  to  the  nearest  chapel  and  besought  Mr,  Rob- 


30 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


erts  to  come  to  the  succor  of  the  dying  man.  "  Let  the  dead 
bury  their  dead,  but  I  must  preach  the  gospel,"  he  rephed,  and 
proceeded  to  preach  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

Before  leaving  Canton  we  visited  the  gardens  of  Howqua, 
one  of  the  thirteen  hong  merchants  who,  prior  to  the  era  of  the 
treaties,  held  a  monopoly  of  foreign  trade.  They  were  situ- 
ated on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  in  a  locality  that  bore 
the  appropriate  name  of  Fad  {"  Land  of  Flowers  ").  Though 
extensive,  and  abounding  in  strange  forms  of  vegetation,  they 
did  not  in  the  least  resemble  the  "  Leasowes  "  of  Shenstone  or 
the  gardens  of  Alcinous— making  no  attempt  at  landscape  be- 
yond heaps  of  rockwork,  which  resembled  mountain  scenery 
as  much  as  a  brick  resembles  a  house.     Rows  of  evergreens. 


'I'llK    (}AHI)KNKU    AT    WORK. 


twisted  into  the  shapes  of  birds  and  beasts,  gave  us  the  first 
example  of  a  form  of  bad  taste  peculiarly  Chinese.  Hie  sum- 
mer residence  of  the  ])ropriet()r  was  crammed  with  curious  fur- 
niture, one  room  being  set  apart  for  a  collection  of  clocks  of 
every  pattern  and  principle.     It  was  a  museum,  not  a  home. 


FIRST  GLIMPSES   OF  CHINA  3 1 

On  our  return  trip  we  touched  at  Macao,  a  Portuguese  set- 
tlement built  on  a  peninsula  walled  off  from  the  mainland, 
and  called,  for  some  reason  to  me  unknown,  the  "  Holy  City." 
One  sacred  thing  which  it  contains  is  a  grotto,  where,  it  is  said, 
Camoens  composed  some  cantos  of  the  Lusiad,  the  immortal 
epic  in  which  he  celebrates  Vasco  da  Gama  and  the  opening 
of  the  East. 

For  three  centuries  Macao  had  thriven  on  a  foreign  trade, 
which  it  shared  with  Canton ;  but  it  is  now  overshadowed  by 
Hong  Kong  and  slowly  falling  to  decay.  Formerly  the  Por- 
tuguese paid  the  Chinese  government  a  nominal  ground-rent 
of  six  hundred  ounces  of  silver.  But  they  have  now  ceased  to 
pay  this  trifling  tribute  and  obtained  a  formal  recognition  of 
their  territorial  sovereignty — subject  to  the  proviso  that  they 
shall  not  transfer  the  colony  to  any  other  power  without  the 
consent  of  China. 

As  the  Portuguese  in  Africa  were  the  last  Europeans  to 
abandon  the  trade  in  negro  slaves,  those  in  China  have  been 
the  last  to  renounce  the  profits  of  the  new  slave-trade — the 
traffic  in  Chinese  coolies.  Driven  from  Hong  Kong  by  British 
humanity,  that  infamous  traffic  found  for  some  years  a  refuge 
in  Macao,  which  it  galvanized  into  temporary  prosperity.  It 
was  finally  suppressed  by  the  stern  determination  of  the  Chi- 
nese government,  encouraged  by  the  pubhc  sentiment  of  the 
West.  The  most  frequent  destination  of  a  coolie  cargo  was 
Peru  or  Cuba,  the  United  States  never — the  spirit  of  our  laws 
barring  the  way  even  prior  to  any  direct  legislation  against  the 
importation  of  contract  labor.  The  first  law  of  that  class  was 
enacted  to  preclude  the  introduction  of  Chinese  coolies. 

The  number  actually  held  in  bondage  in  each  of  those  coun- 
tries was  estimated  at  between  sixtv  and  a  hundred  thousand. 
The  total  eml)arked  for  all  parts  could  not  have  been  less  than 
half  a  million.  Most  of  them  mortgaged  their  liberty  without 
compulsion  ;  but  a  large  proportion  were  victims  of  land-sharks. 


32  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

who  bought  them  from  native  kidnappers.  Stories  were  rife  of 
those  miscreants  throwing  a  strait-jacket  over  the  head  of  any 
man  or  boy  whom  they  might  meet  on  a  lonely  path.  By  their 
depredations  whole  provinces  were  kept  in  a  state  of  panic, 
and  foreigners  of  every  nationality  were  in  danger  of  suffering 
for  their  supposed  complicity  in  the  vile  traffic. 

After  securing  the  person  of  the  victim,  it  remained  to  ob- 
tain his  consent  to  embark.  Dr.  Ashmore  thus  describes  the 
process : 

"  The  coolies  were  said  to  enter  into  the  engagement  volun- 
tarily. To  ascertain  the  facts,  the  speaker  visited  Macao.  The 
doors  of  the  barracoons  were  found  to  be  open,  as  stated  ;  but 
on  either  side  was  stationed  a  Portuguese,  armed  with  a  heavy 
club,  and  egress  was  at  the  peril  of  the  coolie's  life.  The  con- 
tract-stand was  visited.  The  coolies  were  marched  up  ;  the  con- 
tract was  read  in  a  rapid  manner  by  a  Portuguese  to  a  coolie, 
who  probably  did  not  understand  a  word  of  it.  Then  his 
hand  was  seized,  and  the  impress  of  his  thumb  forcibly 
made  on  the  paper.  This  was  the  voluntary  signing  of  the 
compact."  * 

The  voyage  across  the  Pacific  renewed  the  horrors  of  the 
Atlantic  "  middle  passage,"  aggravated  by  its  greater  length. 
In  the  African  trade,  cases  of  mutiny  were  rare ;  but  the  Chi- 
nese, made  of  sterner  stuff  than  the  negro,  in  many  instances 
butchered  the  white  crew,  and  in  not  a  few  others  scuttled  or 
burned  the  ship  from  either  revenge  or  despair.  The  follow^ 
ing  account  of  these  atrocities  I  take  from  a  valuable  book 
on  "  Chinese  Immigration,"  by  the  Hon.  George  F,  Seward, 
formerly  minister  to  China  : 

"  The  American  ship  '  Waverley,'  laden  with  coolies,  put  into 
the  port  of  Manila.  Some  of  the  Chinese  asked  to  go  ashore. 
An  altercation  ensued,  in  which  one  Chinaman  was  shot,  and 
the  rest  were  forced  below  and  the  hatches  battened  down. 

*  "  North  Cliina  Herald,"  September  6,  1895. 


FIRST  a/./A/rSKS   OF   CinXA  2>?> 

These  were  not  opeiietl  until  tlie  next  morning,  when  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-one  cooh'es  were  found  dead!  In  an  outbreak 
on  the  '  Canavero,'  an  Itah'an  ship,  the  coohes  were  similarly 
driven  below  and  the  hatches  battened  down  ;  but,  unwilling 
to  perish  by  suffocation,  they  set  fire  to  the  ship.  The  crew 
escaped  in  boats,  and  the  ship,  with  her  cargo  of  human  beings, 
was  consumed. 

"Nor  were  these  tragedies  exceptional.  In  March,  187 1, 
Chief  Justice  Smale,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Hong  Kong,  tle- 
livered  a  decision  in  which  the  character  of  the  Macao  coolie- 
trade  was  dealt  with  at  length.  '  I  have  endeavored,'  lie  wrote, 
'  to  make  up  a  list  of  vessels  in  which  there  have  been  coolie 
risings  and  destruction  of  ships.  The  list  is  not  complete,  but 
I  believe  that  within  a  short  period  some  six  or  seven  ships, 
carrying  about  three  thousand  coolies,  have  been  burned  or 
otherwise  destroyed,  with  an  immense  loss  of  life,  including 
captains  and  a  relatively  large  proportion  of  the  crews.'" 

The  last  ship  to  carry  away  such  human  freight  was,  I  l)e- 
lieve,  the  "  Maria  Luz."  Putting  into  Yokohama,  en  route  for 
Peru,  one  of  her  victims  threw  himself  into  the  sea  and  swam 
off  to  a  British  man-of-war.  The  captain  refused  to  give  the 
fugitive  up.  The  case  became  known  to  the  local  authorities, 
and,  to  its  lasting  honor,  the  Japanese  government  promptly 
restored  the  whole  cargo  to  their  native  land.  This  was  the 
coup  dc  grace  to  a  gigantic  evil. 

Going  one  day  to  the  London  ^Mission  Hospital  in  Hong 
Kong,  my  eye  was  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  a  sign-l)oard, 
inscribed  in  Hebrew,  with  the  rallying-cry  of  the  Jews  :  "  blear, 
O  Israel :  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord."  Dr.  Hirsclilx'rg, 
the  physician  in  charge,  himself  a  Hebrew,  had  prepared  this 
in  the  hope  of  catching  the  attention  of  some  wandering  Jew. 
It  was  known  that  Jews  existed  in  China,  as  everywhere  else, 
a  small  colony  of  them  having  been  discovered  by  Catholic 
missionaries.     How  Httle  did  I  dream  that  it  was  reserved  for 


34  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

me  to  penetrate  to  that  colony  in  the  far  interior,  which  no 
European  had  visited  for  two  centuries!* 

In  Hong  Kong  I  became  acquainted  with  Bishop  Smith,  the 
first  bishop  of  the  colony,  who  signed  himself  "  George  Vic- 
toria," from  the  official  name  of  his  see.  Many  years  later, 
stopping  at  Hong  Kong,  we  spent  portions  of  two  days  at  his 
"  palace  "  on  the  hillside.  Our  Civil  War  was  then  in  progress, 
aiid  he  believed  that  it  would  issue  in  the  destruction  of  our 
Union — a  result  which  he  frankly  avowed  he  desired,  because 
we  were  "  growing  too  great." 

Dr.  Legge,  of  the  London  Mission,  was  a  man  of  stalwart 
mould.  Earnest,  indefatigable,  and  learned,  while  laboring 
with  zeal  and  success  in  school  and  chapel,  he  translated  the 
Confucian  classics.  That  achievement  obtained  for  him  an 
appointment  as  professor  in  Oxford,  where  he  has  occupied 
his  Chinese  easy-chair  for  a  score  of  years,  after  spending 
thirty  as  a  missionary  in  the  East.  As  long  as  his  translations 
are  not  superseded,  his  name  will  be  inseparably  linked  with 
that  of  Confucius. 

During  our  stay  at  Hong  Kong  a  sign-painter  one  morning 
climbed  up  and  carefully  erased  a  Chinese  inscription  over  the 
door  of  Dr.  Legge's  church.  The  doctor  had  discovered  that 
he  had  made  a  mistake  in  calling  God  CIir)islu'ii  ("  True  Spirit  " 
or  "  True  God  ")  instead  of  S/ia/h^fi  ("  Supreme  Ruler  ") !  'J'he 
"  term  controversy,"  after  sleeping  for  two  centuries,  was  thus 
showing  signs  of  a  fresh  eruption.  In  the  early  period  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  missions  it  had  raged  with  violence.  The 
Jesuits  cham{)ioned  .SZ/a^/x^//  the  Doniinicans  accused  them  of 
idolatry ;  and  the  pope  ordered  that,  instead  of  S//<7>/x'/',  they 
should  use  TiciicJiu  ("Lord  of  Heaven"),  a  name  found  in 
ancient  writings  as  one  of  eight  minor  diviin'ties  worshiped  by 
tlie  Wall-builder  (240  r..c.),  but  so  little  known  that  it  was 
regarded  as  practically  a  fresh  coinage. 

*  See  Part  II.,  Chapter  IV. 


FIRST  GLIMPSES   OF  CHINA 


35 


That  decision  was  not  binding  on  Protestants,  who  in  trans- 
lating the  Scriptures  stirred  up  the  old  question.  Some  thought 
that  the  pope  had  made  a  mistake  in  condemning  S/ia//g/i;  some 
adhered  to  Tic/ulii/,  while  others  preferred  S/ic/i.  or  CJicnshoi 
("  God  "  or  "  True  God  ").  The  missionaries  were  charged  with 
wasting  years  in  disputing  about  the  name  for  God  before  at- 
tempting to  convert  the  heathen.  Such,  however,  was  not  the 
case :  each  mission  went  to  work  with  its  own  chosen  terms — 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  appears  to  have  shown  no  marked  pref- 
erence for  any,  converts  being  as  readily  gathered  by  the  use 
of  one  term  as  by  another.  The  controversy  has  fortunately 
ceased  without  the  intervention  of  a  pope ;  but  uniformity  of 
usage  has  not  been  attained.  Will  not  the  native  church  set- 
tle it  some  day  by  using  all  three  of  the  disputed  terms?  Sir 
John  Bowring,  to  meet  the  diiiiculty,  suggested  that  the  letter 
6,  used  in  Greek  JNISS.  as  an  abbreviation  for  T/wos,  might  be 
employed  as  an  expressive  symbol,  the  inner  stroke  represent- 
ing unity  and  the  circle  eternity.  It  would,  he  said,  be  in  har- 
mony with  the  picture-writing  of  the  Chinese,  and  each  party 
might  pronounce  it  according  to  its  own  shibboleth.  But  the 
suggestion  fell  to  the  ground,  like  a  flower  plucked  from  its 
stem,  and  died  without  fruit. 


.^-^,-4 


^ 


t^\ 


•i!- 


liXliLX'lIU.N    v¥   A.\    Ul'K/M-S.MUlJOMiK. 


CHAPTER    II 


VOYAGE    UP    THE    COAST 


Amoy — Opening  of  a  new  church — I'^uchau — Buddhism  —  Civil-service  ex- 
aminations— Fitngshiii,  or  geomancy — Missions — A  glance  at  the 
map 

ON  the  yth  of  May  we  embarked  on  the  lorcha  "  Macao," 
Captain  Jose  Maria,  along  with  a  goodly  company  of 
missionaries,  who  were  bound  for  different  points  on  the  coast. 
The  little  craft  was  less  than  a  Imndred  tons'  burden  ;  but  that 
was  her  least  fault — smaller  boats  have  sometimes  weathered 
a  storm  where  larger  ones  have  foundered.  She  was  old  and 
rotten  ;  but,  as  we  were  to  keep  near  the  shore,  there  was  rea- 
son to  hope  that  in  case  of  accident  we  might  all  escape  to 
land  "  on  broken  pieces  of  the  ship."  Providentially,  no  seri- 
ous harm  befell  us,  though  we  were  once  dismasted,  and  once 
or  twice  in  imminent  danger  of  being  cast  away,  for  want  of 
a  pilot  who  knew  the  coast. 

With  pirates  we  happily  did  not  come  in  contact,  though  the 
seas  were  infested  with  them.  These  lorchas,  in  fact,  made  a 
business  of  pirate-hunting  when  they  were  not  doing  a  little  buc- 
caneering on  their  own  account.  The  cry  of  "  Pirates  to  lee- 
ward !  "  was  indeed  once  raised,  and,  looking  out,  we  saw  a  junk 
surrounded  by  small  boats,  and  black  with  people,  who  were 
cutting  away  its  sails  and  (cordage.  Caj)tain  Maria,  from  .sheer 
habit,  ordered  his  giuniers  to  fire  on  them,  but  the  shot  flew 
wide  of  the  mark.     As  we  swept  by,  Dr.  Welton,  an  EnglinJi 

36 


VOYAGE    UP    77/ E    COAST  37 

medical  missionary  bound  for  Fuchau,  shouted  out,  in  great 
excitement:  "Give  them  another,  captain!"  \\c  afterward 
twitted  him  on  his  readiness  to  j)rescribe  iron  pills,  as  well  as 
on  his  mistaken  diagnosis,  since  the  junk,  having  struck  a  rock, 
was  not  a  pirate  at  all,  and  the  plunderers  were  wreckers — a 
very  important  difference. 

Touching  at  Amoy  to  put  off  a  passenger  (Dr.  Young,  a 
medical  missionary  from  Scotland),  we  stopped  there  four  or 
five  days,  during  which  time  we  were  hospitably  entertained 
by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Stronach,  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society.  On  Sunday,  attending  the  dedication  of  a  new  chapel 
belonging  to  an  American  mission,  I  w^as  surprised  to  see  a  large 
and  orderly  congregation,  among  whom  were  a  few  new  con- 
verts. The  Rev.  Mr.  Doty  delivered  a  fervid  discourse,  in 
which  the  syllal)les  Ap-ek-Ic-ap-Jiau  recurred  so  frequently  that 
I  supposed  I  had  got  possession  of  a  very  useful  phrase.  In- 
quiring as  to  its  meaning,  I  was  told  that  it  was  merely  the 
Chinese  way  of  pronouncing  "Abraham"! 

Amoy  is  a  flourishing  port,  about  two  hundred  miles  north  of 
Hong  Kong.  Its  situation  is  pleasant,  and  in  the  harbor  there 
is  the  island  of  Kulangsu,  then  unoccupied,  which  is  now  the 
seat  of  a  foreign  colony.  Adorned  with  abodes  of  wealth  and 
luxury,  it  shines  a  gem  on  the  bosom  of  the  waters.  Two  hun- 
dred miles  farther  north  we  entered  the  river  Min  and  sailed 
up  to  Fuchau,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Fu-kien,  where 
four  of  our  passengers  were  to  find  their  station.  The  river  is 
grandly  picturesque,  reminding  one  of  the  Hudson  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  Catskills,  with  mountains,  however,  rising  from  the 
banks  instead  of  being  visible  onlv  in  the  background.  On 
one  side  a  series  of  peaks  bears  the  name  of  Wuhu  ("the  Five 
Tigers"),  and  on  the  other  stands  Kushan  ("Lone  Moun- 
tain "),  famed  as  the  site  of  a  Buddhist  monasterv.  Visiting 
the  monastery,  I  wrote  some  rambling  verses,  of  which  the  first 
couplet  ran : 


38  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

"  The  place  where  I  stand  is  the  Creator's  shrine. 
For,  above  and  around,  all,  all  is  divine;" 

and  the  last : 

"  Yet  the  '  glory  of  man  '  *  is  turned  into  shame, 
And  uttereth  naught  but  an  idol's  name." 

The  repetition  of  "  Omitofo,"  a  name  of  Buddha,  is  the  chief 
part  of  Buddhist  devotion.  It  is  not  supposed  that  the  god  hears 
this,  having  entered  Nirvana,  a  state  of  unconscious  feh"city ; 
but  it  is  prescribed  in  the  ritual  as  a  discipline  well  fitted  to 
withdraw  the  mind  from  worldly  thoughts.  The  acme  of  at- 
tainment nearest  to  Nirvana  is  to  think  nothing  and  to  feel 
nothing,  in  which  state  the  soul  will  of  course  enjoy  perfect 
tranquillity.  With  such  a  disci|)]ine  a  highly  intellectual  clergy 
could  hardly  be  expected.  In  general,  the  i)riests  have 
stolid  faces  and  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy.  Most  of  them  are 
unable  to  read,  the  recitation  of  prayers  being  their  sole  duty. 
No  longer  doing  anything  to  strengthen  or  renovate  Chinese 
society,  Buddhism  clings  to  it  as  ivy  clings  to  a  crumbling  tower, 
deriving  its  nourishment  from  the  rottenness  of  the  struclure. 

While  at  the  monastery  we  were  shown  a  tank  full  of  large 
fish,  which  are  in  no  danger  from  the  treacherous  hook;  also  a 
herd  of  fat  porkers,  safe  from  the  butcher's  knife.  The  latter 
were  reserved  to  die  of  old  age  —  a  fortune  so  rare  for  swine 
that  I  have  never  yet  heard  a  statement  of  the  age  a  pig  may 
reasonably  hr)pe  to  attain.  Compassion  for  brute  animals  is  an 
amiable  feature  of  Buddhism,  as  well  as  of  Brahmanism,  from 
which  it  is  deri\-ed.  A\'ith  us,  a  mystic  like  St.  Francis  of  Assisi 
may  fraternize  with  beasts  and  birds,  or  a  poet  like  Coleritlge 
apf)str()phizc  a  young  ass,  "  I  hail  thee,  brother."  A  Buddhist 
is  not  sure  that  the  ass  may  not  be  his  father! 

The  Buddhistic  doctrine  of  metempsvchosis  indispiUably 
tends  to  lower  the  sense  of  human  dignity,  and  if  it  conduces 

*  A  ilcbrai.iin  for  "  tiic  t(_)iiL:iie." 


VOVAG/C    UP    THK    COAST 


39 


in  any  way  (which  may  be  doubted)  to  the  better  treatment  of 
lower  animals,  it  does  so  at  the  expense  of  humanity  to  man. 
Was  not  Arjuna,  in  the  iMahabharata,  encouraged  to  slaugh- 
ter his  kindred  in  the  opposing  ranks  by  the  suggestion  that  the 
"  spirit  changes  bodies  as  a  man  doth  a  garment  "  ?  "  It  neither 
slays  nor  is  slain  ;  nor  is  there  any  essential  difference  between 
killing  and  being  killed."  As  generally  held,  this  doctrine  is 
largely  responsible  for  the  prevalence  of  suicide,  leading  those 
who  are  hopelessly  wretched  to  try  their  luck  on  another  throw 
of  the  dice.  Pictorially,  the  doctrine  is  represented  by  a  wheel, 
or  urn,  from  which  six  streams  of  life  are  seen  to  issue — in- 
sect, reptile,  and  fish  from  its  lower  half,  bird,  beast,  and  man 
from  its  upper  portion. 


WllEEI.   OF    FATE, 


On  the  hillside  was  a  "  hermitage  " — not  a  secluded  cottage 
where  some  meditative  monk,  in  the  shade  of  flowering  crcei)- 
ers  and  soothed  l)y  falling  waters,  might  woo  the  philosojiliic 
muse,  but  a  small  chamber  built  of  rough  stones,  without  door 
or  window.  It  was  occupied  by  a  devotee,  who  was  doing  pen- 
ance for  imaginary  sins  committed  in  a  former  state  of  exis- 
tence, and  storing  up  imaginary  merit  with  a  view  to  improv- 


4° 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


ing  his  condition  in  the  next  Hfe.  He  had  been  immured  for 
twenty-four  years,  the  stones  having  been  built  up  around  him. 
They  seemed  to  cut  him  off  from  the  world ;  but  he  was  still 
full  of  pride  and  avarice,  and  continued  to  carry  the  world  in 
his  heart.  He  never  washed,  and  was  therefore  deemed  very 
holy.  Other  priests  shave  the  entire  head;  but  his  locks  were 
allowed  to  grow,  and,  naturally,  they  were  "  shent  with 
Egypt's  plague."  His  finger-nails,  which  he  was  fond  of  ex- 
hil)iting,  looked  like  filaments  of  ram's  horn  or  the  legs  of 
an  octopus;  each  had  a  separate  sheath  of  bamboo.  Fine 
ladies  in  China  have  nails  as  long;  but  they  are  sheathed 
in  silver. 

Fuchau,  which  contains  about  700,000  inhabitants,  is  the 
capital  of  the  province  of  Fu-kien,  and  the  chief  center  for  the 
export  of  black  teas.  Standing  on  an  undulating  plain  twenty- 
two  miles  from  the  sea,  it  is  one  of  the  cleanest  and  best-built 
cities  to  be  seen  on  the  coast  of  China.  In  order  to  give  us  a 
comprehensive  view  of  it,  some  of  our  friends  formed  a  party 

to  make  the  circuit  of 
the  wall,  not,  as  Ijow- 
ring  made  it  at  Canton, 
on  the  outside,  but  on 
"1^  J^i!KJ^^am^^m:^f<:r<MJ^I^  ^^'^^  '•'H'  ^^  ^^^  environ- 
(  IfU  /ir^^B^^^S^''^^ftB\        "^S  structure.    We  were 

provided    with    palan- 
quins,   each    borne    by 
two  stout  coolies  ;  those 
who  affect  dignity  have 
usually   four,      'J"o    for- 
eigners  the    palaiKjuins 
are   indispensable    as  a 
shelter  from  heat  and  a  rrllcf  from  faliguc  where  horse  and  car- 
riage are  not  awiilalile.    This  sage  ojiinion,  tlie  result  of  experi- 
ence, was  at  tliat  time  so  far  from  taking  shape  in  my  mind 


iMMdN     Sl'.IiAN. 


F0]'.1C7/-:    UP    THE    COAST  41 

that  I  allowed  my  coolies  to  carry  the  empty  chair,  or  "  sr- 
dan,"  as  it  is  called,  at  my  heels  all  day  long,  through  repug- 
nance to  riding  on  the  necks  of  my  fellow-men.  A  tramp  of 
ten  miles — the  walls  measure  nine — helped  me,  however,  to 
get  over  that  scruple. 

Within  the  inclosure  rises  a  hill,  covered  with  trees  and  rocks, 
with  here  and  there  a  small  house  hidden  in  the  foliage.  This 
is  the  palladium  of  the  city,  an  elevation  which  draws  p^ropi- 
tious  influences  from  the  four  winds  and  pours  them  down  on 
the  people  below.  The  Chinese  believe  in  this  sort  of  geoman- 
tic  influence  as  firmly  as  we  do  in  the  lightning-rod.  I'hey  call 
it  fi/?igs/iui  ("wind  and  water"),  from  the  elements  that  most 
frequently  form  the  vehicle  for  good  or  e\"il  luck.  Tlie  notion 
probably  originated  in  the  observation  that  wind  and  water 
have  much  to  do  with  commercial  prosperity.  IJut  it  has  grown 
into  a  whole  system  of  superstitious  notions,  as  complex  as  the 
cabala  and  as  pernicious  as  witchcraft.  Our  treaty  contains  an 
allusion  to  this  potent  system  of  evil  in  a  clause  which  provides 
that  in  the  purchase  of  a  site  for  building  "  the  local  author- 
ities shall  not  interfere  unless  there  be  some  objections  offered 
on  tJic  part  of  tlw  iiiliabitanis  /rspi\'fi/ii^  the  place.''''  Some  years 
later,  English  missionaries  built  on  that  hill,  and  the  popu- 
lace became  so  excited  lest  their  presence  might  disturb  its 
good  influences  that  they  rose  01  masse,  and  demolished  church, 
school-house,  and  dwelling.  In  Hangcliau,  a  magistrate 
having  died  suddenly,  his  death  was  believed  to  have  l-icen 
caused  by  a  mission  building  on  a  hillside  overlooking  the 
yaiiioi,  or  official  resilience.  The  missionaries  were  courteously 
invited  to  accept  another  site  in  exchange,  to  which  they  ac- 
ceded rather  than  have  their  houses  pulled  about  tlieir  cars. 
Instances  of  this  kind  of  courtesv  are  too  numerous  to  recount, 
but  those  just  mentioned  are  sufficient  to  show  what  danger 
lies  hidden  under  the  name /////;''.^"/////.  It  is  a  false  science,  with 
libraries  to  expound  it  and  professors  to  teach  it.      Nor  is  any 


42  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Chinese  bold  enough  to  build  a  house  or  dig  a  grave  without 
caUing  in  a  professor  to  decide  whether  or  not  the  site  is 
auspicious. 

Looking  over  the  city,  the  eye  rested  on  nothing  worthy  of 
note  in  the  way  of  architecture  ;  yet  there  was  one  object  which 
it  fixed  on  as  ilhistrating  the  ])est  side  of  Chinese  civih'zation. 
This  was  the  Civil-Service  Examination  Hall,  consisting  of 
low  cells,  sufficient  to  accommodate  ten  thousand  students,  with 
larger  rooms  for  examiners,  and  elevated  stages  for  the  police 
—  the  whole  inclosed  with  a  high  wall  coped  with  prickly  thorns. 
Each  city,  large  or  small,  contains  a  similar  establishment.  Not 
merely  may  this  be  taken  as  characteristic  of  the  educational 
system  of  China ;  there  is,  in  truth,  no  public  education  apart 
from  it ;  for,  theoretically,  the  government  encourages  educa- 
tion for  no  other  purjjose  than  to  provide  itself  with  a  supply  of 
competent  officers.  To  this  end  public  schools  are  not  thought 
necessary,  though  a  few  are  endowed  by  the  government,  and 
conducted  under  official  supervision.  The  essential  feature  is 
the  motive  to  study  —  an  impartial  offer  of  honors  and  emolu- 
ments to  all  whose  attainments  come  up  to  a  required  standard. 
That  standard  is  unfortunately  defective,  consisting  of  literature 
without  science,  and  of  Chinese  literature  without  any  hint  of 
such  a  thing  as  literature  existing  in  foreign  nations.  It,  more- 
over, directs  the  student  exclusively  to  the  imitation  of  ancient 
models,  and  thus  interposes  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  progress. 
v\dmirable  in  its  grand  features,  this  system  is  the  slow  growth 
of  thousands  of  years;  but  it  needs  to  be  inoculated  (as  it  will 
be)  with  ideas  from  the  West  to  adapt  it  to  the  changed  con- 
ditions r)f  modern  life.  The  civil-service  examinations,  which 
are  gaining  ground  in  h'ngland,  Erance,  and  the  I'nitt'd  Stales, 
are  borrowed  from  the  experience  of  the  Chinese  em|)ire.  Mr. 
Curzon  acknowledges  the  obligation  in  this  fashion  :  "  A  system 
from  whose  ])remotu'torv  sym])toins  our  own  counlr}',  a  tardy 
convert  to  Celestial  ideas,  is  beginning  to  suffer." 


P'OVAGE    UP   THE   COAST  43 

England  certainly  has  not  suffered  from  the  competitive  sys- 
tem in  her  Indian  civil  service,  nor  in  her  admirable  consular 
service  in  China,  both  of  which  are  supplied  from  "competi- 
tion wallas."  If  she  suffers  anywhere,  it  is  not  from  the  sys- 
tem, but  from  its  injudicious  application.  America,  still  more 
tardy  in  its  adoption,  is  now  convinced  that  it  offers  the  only 
antidote  for  the  conniptions  of  the  spoils  system.  Its  extension 
to  an  ever-widening  circle  is  assured  ;  though  I  do  not  supi)ose 
that  a  time  will  soon  come  when  either  our  military  comman- 
ders or  our  cabinet  ministers  wall  be  chosen  in  that  way.  \\'ith 
us  the  examinations  are  specialized ;  in  China  their  weakness 
is  the  want  of  special  adaptation.  With  all  their  drawbacks, 
they  have  done  more  than  anything  else  to  hold  China  together, 
and  help  her  to  maintain  a  respectable  standard  of  ci\-ilization. 

So  much  of  haphazard  is  there  in  the  results  of  these  con- 
tests that  they  are  made  the  subject  of  systematic  gambling. 
That  circumstance  also  causes  them  to  be  regarded  as  a  spe- 
cial arena  for  providential  rewards  or  puiu"shnients.  Students 
who  are  dubious  as  to  their  intellectual  e(|uipment  are,  as  the 
day  approaches,  especially  careful  of  their  moral  conduct.  In 
lieu,  however,  of  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  they  are  apt 
to  substitute  such  humane  acts  as  the  rescue  of  ants  that  are 
struggling  in  the  mud,  the  release  of  mice  caught  in  a  trap,  or 
the  restoration  to  their  watery  element  of  fish  purchased  alive 
in  the  market.  Any  one  of  these  acts,  done  at  the  critical 
moment,  inspires  immense  confidence,  and  who  shall  say  that 
it  has  no  effect  on  the  result  of  the  competition? 

The  Manchu  quarter,  set  apart  for  a  garrison  of  the  ruling 
race,  is  a  feature  to  be  met  with  in  China  in  onlv  a  few  impor- 
tant centers.  It  proves  that  the  throne,  won  by  the  sword  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  must  be  held  by  at  least  a  show 
of  force.  It  offers  to  the  view  nothing  of  particular  interest, 
and  the  general  panorama  of  city  and  suburbs  consists  of  what 
maybe  seen  in  any  large  town  of  the  empire— st^uare  miles  of 


44  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT// AY 

gray  tiles,  the  roofs  of  low  houses,  unnumbered  and  innumer- 
able, the  long  rows  of  which  are  parted  by  paved  paths,  by 
courtesy  called  streets.  To  find  anything  picturesque,  the  eye 
has  to  wander  away  to  the  blue  mountains  rising  in  the  dis- 
tance, or  to  the  silveiy  stream  winding  through  a  richly  cul- 
tivated valley. 

The  Wan-sue-chiao,  or  "bridge  of  ten  thousand  years,"  a 
massive  structure  of  rough  granite,  was  a  marvel  of  primitive 
engineering.  We  admired  its  rude  solidity,  little  dreaming  that 
in  a  short  time  it  would  be  carried  away  by  a  flood,  after  hav- 
ing braved  the  fury  of  the  elements  for  many  a  century.  It 
was  lined  with  stalls  for  traders  on  both  sides  of  the  roadway, 
such  as  one  sees  on  the  bridges  of  the  Arno  at  Florence. 

There  were  Protestant  missionaries  of  four  societies  laboring 
at  Fuchau,  namely,  those  of  the  American  IJoard,  American 
Methodist,  Church  of  Phigland,  and  Swedish  Lutheran.  The 
stations  of  the  three  former  have  their  ramifications  far  into  the 
interior,  and  thcv  have  gathered  a  large  following  of  converts, 
now  a  score  of  thousands,  in  lieu  of  the  score  of  individuals 
whom  they  counted  at  the  date  of  our  A'isit.  Nor  are  these  all 
poor  and  despised.  One  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  a 
few  years  ago  gave  ten  thousand  dollars  to  found  a  college ; 
and  the  natives  of  the  same  church  organized  and  supported 
a  mission  to  Corea. 

The  Swedish  Mission  was  l)rought  to  an  end  ])}•  a  tragic  oc- 
currence which  illustrates  one  of  the  perils  to  which  mission- 
aries arc  exposed  in  China.  The  two  missionaries,  Fast  and 
Klcjuist,  while  returning  from  the  loAver  anchorage,  where  they 
had  gone  to  exchange  their  bills  for  silver,  were  attacked  by 
ri\-er-])irates.  Fast  discharged  a  ])istol,  and  was  either  killed 
or  drowned.  His  comj)anion  suffered  such  a  shock  tliat  his 
healtli  ga\e  wav  and  he  retired  from  the  field.  Xor  was  this 
a  solitary  instance  of  wliat,  at  times,  may  befall  tlie  stranger. 
The  Rev.  WaUer  F(n\rie,  of  the  American  Presl)yteri.-in  Poard, 


J'OV.iGE    IT    THE    COAST  45 

was  murdered  by  pirates  near  Niiigpo  two  or  three  years  be- 
fore, and  some  years  later  the  Rev.  James  WilHamson,  of  the 
London  Mission,  was  drowned  by  the  same  class  of  social  pests 
in  the  Grand  Canal  near  Tientsin. 

As  a  mark  of  progress  in  the  way  of  material  renovation,  I 
may  mention  that  opposite  the  pagoda  anchorage  is  now  to 
be  found  an  arsenal,  naval  school,  and  shipyard,  from  which  a 
score  or  more  of  gunboats  have  been  turned  out  and  equipped. 
In  1884  the  river  at  that  point  was  the  scene  of  a  bloody  bat- 
tle, in  which  the  carnage  was  all  on  one  side.  A  French  squad- 
ron of  five  ships,  on  the  eve  of  hostilities,  and  with  the  inten- 
tion of  opening  the  ball  then  and  there,  entered  the  harbor  and 
took  up  a  commanding  position.  The  Chinese  commander, 
whom  I  knew  personally,  was  a  shallow,  vainglorious  civilian. 
Having  eleven  gunboats  ready  to  engage  them,  he  allowed  them 
to  pass  the  forts  unchallenged,  believing  that  they  were  wan- 
tonly leaping  into  the  dragon's  jaws ;  but  the  French,  besides 
having  heavier  ships  and  better  gunners,  had  the  advantage  of 
firing  the  first  broadside.  This  was  feebly  answered,  and  when 
the  smoke  cleared  most  of  the  Chinese  vessels  were  seen  to  l)e 
sinking  and  their  crews  struggling  in  the  water.  The  arsenal 
was  burned,  and  nine  gunboats  destroyed,  with  the  loss  of  a 
thousand  lives. 

At  Fuchau  we  were  entertained  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Caleb 
Baldwin,  of  the  American  Board,  who  remained  there  long 
enough  to  complete  their  half-century  of  missionary  life,  reap- 
ing in  age  what  they  had  sown  in  youth.  After  a  delightful 
week  on  shore,  we  put  to  sea  again ;  but  on  the  lirst  day  out 
our  lorcha  was  struck  by  a  squall ;  her  maimnast  went  over  with 
a  crash,  and  thus  fortunately  saved  her  from  being  capsized. 
Putting  back  to  refit,  we  passed  five  davs  more  with  our  friends, 
and  then  resumed  our  vovage,  arriving  at  N'ingpo  on  the  26111 
of  June,  having  spent  no  less  than  thirty-five  days  af  sea,  grop- 
ing among  the  islands  and  inlets  that  fringe  the  coast-line. 


46  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Throughout  our  voyage  the  landward  view  was  bounded  by  a 
range  of  hills,  rising  in  places  to  the  dignity  of  mountains. 
Their  treeless  tops  and  furrowed,  sunburnt  sides  gave  no  hint 
of  the  charming  valleys  which  they  inclose,  nor  of  the  popu- 
lous interior  to  which  they  serve  as  a  bulwark. 

Before  going  ashore  to  mingle  with  the  people,  let  us  take 
a  rapid  survey  of  the  goodly  land  in  which  they  dwell.  Lying 
very  nearly  between  the  same  parallels  as  the  eastern  half  of  the 
United  States,  China  proper  covers  about  an  equal  area,  enjoy- 
ing a  similar  range  of  climate  and  variety  of  productions.  Her 
domain  is  the  flower  of  Asia,  as  ours  is  of  the  American  con- 
tinent. Fronting  on  one  ocean  while  we  look  out  on  two,  her 
coast-hne  is  very  extensive,  amounting  to  little  less  than  three 
thousand  miles,  after  deducting  what  she  has  ceded  to  Russia. 
Through  most  of  this  distance  the  coast  is  protected  by  a  broken 
chain  of  islands,  four  of  which  are  something  more  than  specks 
on  the  bosom  of  the  sea.  Hainan,  in  the  extreme  south,  is  a 
tropical  garden,  larger  than  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Its  cli- 
mate is  diversified  by  mountains  and  valleys,  and  its  interior 
inhabited  by  savage  tribes  perpetually  at  war  with  the  Chinese 
on  the  coast. 

Much  the  same  description  applies  to  Formosa,  the  "  Isle  of 
Beauty,"  as  it  was  called  by  the  Portuguese.  But  in  Formosa 
everything  is  on  a  grander  scale.  The  island  is  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  in  length  by  eighty  in  breadth.  It  is  rich  in 
coal,  possesses  oil-springs  of  unknown  value,  and  produces  vast 
quantities  of  camphor  and  sugar.  With  a  view  to  defending 
it  against  covetous  neighbors,  it  was  lately  "  admitted  into  the 
Union,"  not  as  a  territory,  but  as  a  state  or  province,  one  of 
the  twenty-three  which  constituted  the  organized  portion  of  the 
empire.  English  and  Canadian  missionaries  have  succeeded 
in  j)laiitiMg  here  a  large  number  of  nourishing  churches,  some 
of  which  are  among  the  civilized  l^'ormosans  of  the  interior, 
the  eastern  part  of  the  island  being  still  in  the  hands  of  aborig- 


FOVAGE    UP   THE    COAST  47 

inal  savages.  Since  the  above  was  written,  this  gem  of  the 
sea  has  been  transferred  to  the  crown  of  Japan.* 

Chusan  is  an  island  of  great  strategic  value,  commanding  a 
portion  of  the  coast  which  is  studded  with  inlets  and  great  cities. 
Fifty  miles  in  circumference,  it  contains  eighteen  fertile  val- 
leys, whose  productions  would  supply  food  for  a  large  colony. 
The  British  took  possession  of  it  in  1841,  and  considering  its 
many  advantages,  it  is  strange  they  did  not  think  it  worth 
keeping.  The  only  trace  of  their  transient  occupation  is  a 
soldier  cemetery,  with  broken  gravestones.  Dzungming,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  River,  will  be  described  in  another 
chapter. 

The  rivers  of  China  are  her  glory,  and  one  of  them  her  special 
"  sorrow."  To  the  eye  of  a  physical  geographer  they  tell  the 
whole  story  of  the  interior.  Their  number  and  magnitude  cor- 
respond to  the  number  and  magnitude  of  the  mountain  systems, 
where  they  take  their  rise ;  their  volume  affords  a  clue  to  the 
area  which  they  drain ;  and  their  sedimentary  deposit  shows 
the  nature  of  the  soil  through  which  they  pass.  The  Pearl 
River  of  Canton  is  navigable  for  small  boats  for  over  a  thousand 
miles,  affording  one  of  the  best  routes  of  travel  to  the  provinces 
in  the  Southwest.  The  Great  River,  or  Yang-tse  (so  called 
from  the  ancient  province  of  Yangchau,  and  designated  "  the 
Blue  "  by  the  French,  but  never  by  the  Chinese),  is  in  volume 
the  third  river  of  the  world.  It  is  without  a  rival  in  the  popu- 
lation to  which  it  gives  access.  Rising  in  Tibet,  it  traverses 
the  whole  of  China,  receiving  affluents  from  half  the  provinces, 
and  pouring  into  the  sea  a  mass  of  water  many  times  greater 
than  the  Mississippi.  If  the  Nile  has  made  Fgypt,  the  vast 
jilain  of  central  China  is  the  product  of  the  Yang-tse  and  its 
northern  compeer,  the  Hoang-Ho.  The  IIoang-Ho,  or  Yellow 
Ri\er,  reaches  the  sea  after  a  tortuous  course  of  nearlv  three 

*  The  best  account  of  tliis  fine  i'^Iuml  is  tliat  gi\cii  by  Dr.  MacKav  in 
his  •'  From  Far  Formosa"  (New  Vurk :  FlcinioLj  II.  Revell  Company). 


48  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

thousand  miles  from  its  source  in  the  mountains  of  Tibet. 
Everywhere  impetuous,  it  is  of  httle  use  for  navigation,  being 
full  of  obstructions,  and  fluctuating  in  volume  from  a  vast  flood, 
submerging  plains  and  drowning  cities,  to  a  rivulet  that  hides 
itself  between  high  banks. 

The  ancient  Chinese,  who  introduced  civilization  and  sub- 
dued the  aborigines,  entered  China  from  the  northwest,  follow- 
ing the  course  of  this  river.  Their  earliest  capitals  were  on  its 
banks,  and  the  states  renowned  in  ancient  history  w^ere  ranged 
on  either  side.  The  valley  of  the  Yang-tse  and  the  whole  re- 
gion to  the  south  continued,  up  to  the  Christian  era,  to  be  the 
abode  of  savage  tribes,  which  were  only  gradually  absorbed  and 
assimilated.  I'he  Yellow  River  is  noted  for  its  erratic  changes 
of  channel,  at  one  epoch  falling  into  the  Yellow  Sea  on  the  east, 
at  another  finding  its  way  to  the  Culf  of  Pechili.  At  intervals 
of  centuries  it  swings,  like  a  huge  pendulum,  from  the  one  to 
the  other,  a  distance  of  five  hundred  miles;  or,  dividing  itself 
between  the  two  channels,  reduces  the  pro\ince  of  Shantung  to 
an  island  in  its  enormous  delta.  In  1H52  the  river  broke  its 
banks  and  astonished  the  world  bv  rushing  away  to  the  north. 
In  1889  its  vagaries  were  more  unprecedented,  as  it  broke  away 
toward  the  south  and  joined  its  waters  to  those  of  the  Yang- 
tse-Kiang.  The  labor  of  bringing  it  back  to  its  northern  bed, 
at  a  cost  of  thirteen  million  dollars,  was  a  triumph  of  hydraulic 
engineering,  reflecting  infinite  credit  on  the  perseverance  and 
enterprise  of  the  Chinese  people.  After  a  year  of  unsuccessful 
effort  tliey  called  in  the  aid  of  modern  aj)pliances  —  the  elec- 
tric light,  tunn'ng  night  to  day,  and  a  portable  railway,  trans- 
porting niatcrials  f{jrmerly  carried  on  the  backs  of  coolies. 

Ill  ancient  times,  as  hist<;ry  tells  us,  tliese  ri\-ers  all  ran  riot; 
but  llieir  wild  forces  wci^e  working  for  the  welfare  of  genera- 
tions to  come.  Tliev  ai'e  still  seemingly  toiling  to  the  same 
end,  in  di-i\-ing  back  the  sea  and  winning  fresh  fields  for  the 
ever-growing  population.     The  rale  at  which  the  land  is  ex- 


rov. 1 07-:  rr  the  coast  49 

tended  by  the  action  of  the  rivers  has,  I  beheve,  no  parallel  in 
any  other  part  of  the  earth. 

Besides  these  first-class  rivers  and  their  affluents,  there  are 
numerous  minor  streams,  from  two  to  five  hundred  nn'les  in 
length,  which  have  scooped  out  harbors  on  the  sea-coast,  and 
which  supply  them  with  the  products  of  extensive  regi(;ns. 
With  the  exception  of  the  Central  Plain,  which  is  formed  by  the 
alluvium  of  her  two  great  streams,  the  w^hole  of  China  is  covered 
by  a  network  of  hills,  which  beautify  the  landscape  and  diver- 
sify the  surface  of  the  country.  None  reaches  the  snow-line 
except  a  single  range  in  Szechuen,  where  the  land  rises  toward 
the  frontier  of  Tibet.  Mount  Ome,  in  the  same  province, 
which  rises  to  the  height  of  ii,ooo  feet,  is  sacred  to  Duddha. 
The  Dragon  and  'I'iger  mountains,  in  Kiangsi,  about  half  that 
altitude,  are  sacred  to  Taoism.  The  Taishan,  in  Shantung,  is 
a  high  place  of  the  state  religion ;  while  AVutai,  in  Chihh,  is 
devoted  to  Lamaism. 

Vast  and  varied  are  the  mineral  treasures  buried  in  these 
mountain  masses  awaiting  the  dawn  of  an  enlightened  policy 
to  make  China  one  of  the  richest  nations  on  earth.  Except 
in  her  outlying  dependencies  (notal)ly  in  Manchuria),  she  has 
but  little  gold  or  silver  ;  but  her  coal-measures  probably  exceed 
those  of  any  nation  in  the  world,  assuring  to  her  the  elements 
of  power  when  the  mineral  resources  of  Europe  are  exhausted. 
The  same  hills  that  yield  coal  and  iron  contain  extensive  pro- 
vision for  electric  force  in  their  numberless  waterfalls.  Her 
population,  which  is  not  far  short  of  four  hundred  millions,* 
bears  witness  not  only  to  the  fecundity  of  the  people,  but  t(j 
the  fertility  of  her  soil  and  the  salubrity  of  her  climate.  In  the 
North,  millet,  wheat,  and  Indian  corn  are  the  principal  cereals, 

*  If  any  one  desires  to  obtain  the  most  rclial)le  information  as  to  tlic 
distribution  of  tliis  immense  ma^s  of  human  life,  he  will  find  it  in  Appen- 
dix A,  together  with  some  amusing  faets  in  regard  to  the  Chinese  mode 
of  dealing  with  their  census.     Tables  relating  to  trade,  etc.,  are  added. 


5° 


A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 


while  rice  is  the  staple  of  central  and  southern  China.  Cot- 
ton and  sugar-cane  thrive  in  the  South,  and  tea  and  silk  are 
cultivated  in  two  thirds  of  the  provinces.  Nearly  all  the  fruits 
of  the  tropics,  as  well  as  those  of  the  temperate  zones,  flourish 
in  China.  Forming  a  world  in  herself,  and  producing  all  that 
her  people  require,  she  would  stand  in  little  need  of  foreign 
commerce,  were  it  not  for  the  superior  skill  of  Europeans  in 
the  industrial  arts. 


lKi:i(,A  I IM.   Kii  i-.-iii:i.ij>, 


CHAPTER    III 


LEARNING    THE    LANGUAGE 


Two  forms  and  many  dialects  —  Musical  tones  —  Reducinc;  a  dialect  to 
writing — Classical  studies  —  "  Pidgin-English  " 

^TINGPO,  like  the  other  seaports,  is  not  on  the  sea,  but 
^  twelve  miles  inland,  at  the  junction  of  two  streams  which 
form  the  river  Yung ;  a  smaller  town,  according  to  Chinese 
fashion,  being  situated  at  the  river's  mouth.  The  name  does 
not  signify,  as  generally  stated,  "  peaceful  wave,"  but  the  "  city 
that  gives  peace  to  the  waves  "  ;  the  place  being  a  fortress  des- 
tined to  hold  sea-robbers  in  check. 

The  approach  to  the  city  is  imposing.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
river  a  rocky  island,  surmounted  by  a  fortified  monastery  and 
girt  with  batteries,  bars  the  entrance.  On  the  northern  side 
stretches  the  crenelated  wall  of  Chinhai  (the  "  Defense  of  the 
Sea"),  a  district  city  subordinate  to  the  prefecture  of  Ningpo. 
On  the  other  side,  a  range  of  hills,  green  with  groves  of  fir, 
forms  the  boundary  of  a  fertile  plain,  intersected  by  innumer- 
able canals,  which  serve  the  double  purpose  of  irrigation  and 
transport. 

All  Chinese  cities  are  walled,  like  those  of  Europe  in  the 
middle  ages,  suggesting  a  state  of  society  in  which  the  pred- 
atory elements  are  rife.  Politically,  they  are  divided  into 
three  orders ;  namely,  chief  cities  of  provinces,  departments  or 
prefectures,  and  districts  —  the  last  being  of  three  classes:  clio, 
fi'ig,  hicn;  but  a  more  simi)le  di\-ision  is  into  mud  walls,  brick 

51 


52  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

walls,  and  stone  walls.  Ningpo  belongs  to  the  latter  class ; 
its  wall,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high  and  six  miles  in  circuit,  con- 
structed of  huge  blocks  of  granite,  gray  with  age  and  covered 
with  creepers,  but  still  in  good  repair,  wears  a  venerable  aspect, 
in  harmony  with  the  hills  that  rise  in  the  background.  On  the 
top  it  is  broad  enough  for  a  carriage  drive ;  but  it  is  never  used 
for  that  purpose,  nor  even  for  walking,  except  by  beggars,  sol- 
diers, and  missionaries.  In  later  years,  when  health  required, 
I  hired  a  soldier's  horse  and  rode  on  the  wall — the  narrowness 
of  the  streets,  unhke  those  of  northern  cities,  not  admitting  of 
equestrian  exercise. 

We  were  received  at  Ningpo  by  the  Rev.  IM.  S.  Culbertson, 
who,  a  few  days  later,  removed  to  Shanghai  to  take  part  in 
translating  the  Scriptures,  leaving  us,  in  deep  water,  to  sink 
or  swim.  We  had,  it  is  true,  his  house  to  shelter  us  and  his 
servants  to  wait  on  us,  but  no  words  in  which  to  express  our 
wants.  The  first  word  we  learned  in  the  dialect  of  Ningpo 
was  zaban  ("  fire-wood  "),  the  cook  having  brought  in  a  stick 
to  make  us  understand  that  he  wished  to  buy  some.  The 
next  was  fanping  ("  dollar  "),  which  he  represented  by  form- 
ing his  fingers  into  a  ring  and  pointing  to  the  wood,  the 
connection  being  sufficiently  obvious.  A  teacher  was  found 
for  us  who  knew  not  a  word  of  luiglish,  and  our  only  key 
to  all  his  lore  was  the  phrase  kc/i-z-soh-go  i-szc  ("What  does 
that  mean?  "),  with  which  we  were  kindly  supplied  by  a  mis- 
sionary friend.  I'eginning  with  object-lessons,  he  said  some- 
thing alxnit  7i'o>igki,  which  not  being  quite  clear,  he  brought 
in  a  little  dog,  saying,  ''There  it  is,"  and  burst  into  a  fit  of 
laugliter  at  the  thought  that  anybody  could  be  so  stu])id  as  not 
to  know  70(>!igki.  Sometimes  mimicry  sufficed  for  explanation, 
as,  for  instance,  when  he  ran  back  and  forth,  puffing  and  blow- 
ing, to  make  us  understand  that  lioluiigtsirw  meant  a  railway 
train.  As  this  teacher  was  une(]ua!  to  the  strain  of  imparting 
knowledge  in  this  fashicjn  through  a  whole  day,  1  employed  an 


LKAKXIXG    TJIE   LA XG CAGE  53 

auxiliary,  wlio  enabled  me  to  continue  my  studies  in  the  after- 
noon and  evening.  In  a  few  days  the  mists  began  to  rise,  and 
our  further  progress,  from  an  irksome  task,  became  a  fascinat- 
ing pastime.  My  wife  was  my  companion  in  study,  kee])ing 
well  u})  in  the  race  until  handicapped  by  family  cares.  She 
succeeded,  however,  in  acquiring  a  good  command  of  the  local 
dialect,  and  found  time  to  use  it  in  winning  to  Christ  some  of 
the  native  women. 

The  spoken  language  of  China  is  divided  into  a  babel  of  dia- 
lects :  those  of  the  North  and  West  forming  one  group,  basetl 
on  the  Mandarin  or  court  dialect ;  while  those  of  the  Southeast 
differ  as  widely  as  do  the  languages  of  southwestern  Europe. 
As  French  and  Spanish  took  shape  under  the  influence  of  the 
original  speech  of  Celt  and  Vandal,  so  these  dialects  point  back 
to  aboriginal  tribes  absorbed  by  the  more  civilized  Chinese. 
This  conjecture  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  of  a  marked  difference 
in  physiognomy,  e.g.,  between  high  cheek-bones  at  Fuchau 
and  the  oval  faces  seen  at  Xingpo.  One  or  two  words  may 
suffice  to  show  the  extent  of  these  dialectic  variations.  Man 
is  in  Peking  _/'///,•  in  Shantung,  _!'////  at  Shanghai,  ;//c7/<;y  at 
Ningpo,  ;////^i,v  at  Fuchau,  loih^;  at  Canton,  yait.  Tide  is  in 
Peking r//W.-  at  Shanghai,  c/,ac77iv  at  y^\x\'g\^o,dziao ;  at  Swatow, 
t'u-.  Some  of  the  dialects  are  soft,  others  harsh,  the  Xingpo 
being  among  the  more  mellifluous.  So  great  is  this  difference 
that  a  proverb  says: 

"  I'll  ratlicr  take  a  scolding  at  Siichao 
Than  listen  to  a  love-song  at  Siao  [soil.,  Siaoshan]." 

Through  all  the  scries  runs  a  diatonic  scale,  with  three  or  at 
most  four  tones  in  the  Xorth  ;  a  gamut  of  a  full  octave  in  the 
Southeast;  and  in  the  central  region,  about  Xingpo,  only  one 
or  two  tones  that  require  attention.  Three  of  these  tones 
(those  heard  at  Peking)  mav  be  illustrated,  according  to  Sir 
T.  F,  Wade,  by  the  statement,  "James  is  dead  ;"  the  question, 


54  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"  Is  he  dead?  "  and  the  answer,  "  He  is  dead."  The  difference 
between  ground-nuts  and  ground  nuts  (ground  in  a  mill)  may 
also  help  to  comprehend  a  distinction  which  it  requires  an  edu- 
cation to  perceive.  How  essential  it  is  to  intelligibility  may 
be  gathered  from  an  experience  of  an  English  friend,  who  once 
sojourned  at  Fuchau.  After  studying  the  language  for  a 
month  or  two,  he  one  morning  directed  his  cook  to  buy  eigh- 
teen yajigmi,  a  plum-like  fruit,  called  arbutus.  To  his  surprise 
the  man  came  home  panting  under  a  load  of  sheep's  tails — the 
heavy  fat  tails  of  a  certain  breed  being  much  prized — and  ex- 
cused himself  for  being  late  by  saying  that  he  had  walked  the 
streets  all  day,  but  had  only  been  able  to  find  twelve.  They 
were  ya/ii^i/ii,  as  well  as  the  fruit,  but  there  was  a  difference  in 
tone. 

By  way  of  further  explanation  I  may  mention  the  follow- 
ing: In  Peking  I  one  day  sent  an  attendant  from  the  college 
to  the  l^oard  of  Foreign  Affairs,  to  inquire,  as  was  my  wont, 
which  of  the  Chinese  ministers  were  there.  Coming  back  in  a 
few  minutes,  he  made  his  report  in  three  syllables,  or  one  syl- 
lable in  three  tones:  "  Jfi-tv-,  IJrio'^,  //('il'^."  Rimj)ly  this  and 
nothing  more;  for,  as  it  happened,  out  of  nine  members  there 
were  only  those  three  present.  ^Vhy  I^rovidence  so  ordered  it 
I  caimot  divine,  unless  it  was  to  supply  me  with  this  illustra- 
tion. Tlie  Niiigix)  dialect  being  unwritten,  and  incapable  of 
expression  l)y  Chinese  characters,  which,  being  ideographic  in 
their  nature,  have  a  very  imcertain  phonetic  value,  we  were  re- 
duced to  the  necessity  of  representing  it  as  best  we  might  by 
some  application  of  the  ever-accommodating  Roman  aljjhabet. 

With  no  book  or  vocabulary  to  guide  me  —  the  Ningpo  mis- 
sionaries not  having  puljlished  anything  of  the  sort — I  was  k-ft 
to  form  my  own  svstem.  I  look  the  Ck'rman,  or  rather  Conti- 
nental, vowels  as  the  b;isis,  and,  with  a  few  modifications,  soon 
arrived  at  a  mode  of  notation  which  enabled  me  to  reproduce 
what  I  had  written  down  from  the  lij)S  oi  my  teacher.     The 


LEARNIXG    THE   LAXGUAGR  55 

idea  struck  me  of  teaching  liim  to  write  in  the  same  way ;  and 
this  was  easily  done,  as  we  had  got  a  new  teacher  of  quick  ap- 
prehension, by  the  name  of  Lu.  In  a  day  or  two  he  was  able 
to  write  separate  words,  and  a  week  later  I  received  from  him 
a  neatly  written  note  inviting  us  to  take  a  "tiffin,"  or  noonday 
meal,  at  his  house.  Its  lucidity  and  simplicity  delighted  me, 
and  I  exhibited  it  rather  ostentatiously  at  the  breakfast-table. 
A  missionary  physician,  who  had  been  seven  years  at  the  sta- 
tion and  held  the  post  of  Sir  Oracle,  withered  me  with  the  sneer 
that  if  he  had  taught  a  native  to  produce  such  a  thing  as  that 
he  "  should  not  think  he  had  done  a  /laozt^,"  or  work  of  merit. 
I  next  showed  it  to  Messrs.  Cobbold,  Russell,  and  Gough,  of 
the  English  Church  Mission,  visiting  each  in  succession  and  ex- 
plaining the  system  by  which  I  proposed  to  teach  the  natives 
to  write  with  Roman  letters.  They  received  me  with  the  warm- 
est sympathy  ;  admitted  the  full  force  of  the  fact  that  one  native 
had  been  taught  to  write  in  this  way,  and  drew  from  it  all  the 
consecjuences  which  it  seemed  to  justify.  Before  the  sun  had 
set  on  that  to  me  memorable  day,  in  January,  185 1,  we  had 
formed  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  a  definitive  system 
for  the  writing  of  the  "  Ningpo  collotiuial."  Other  missionaries 
fell  in  with  the  movement  one  by  one,  and,  last  of  all,  the  good 
doctor  who  had  given  my  overture  such  an  ungracious  recep- 
tion made  amends  by  zealous  and  fruitful  cooperation. 

The  next  step  was  the  preparation  and  printing  of  books. 
Causing  a  set  of  letters  to  be  engraved  on  separate  pieces  of 
horn,  I  taught  a  young  man  to  use  them  in  stamping  the  pages 
of  a  primer.  This  was  roughly  engraved  on  wood,  in  the  Chi- 
nese manner,  called  "  block-printing,"  and  deserves  to  be  men- 
tioned as  the  germ  of  a  new  literature,  which,  though  restricted 
as  yet  to  the  use  of  the  missions  in  that  region,  has  proved 
itself  highly  beneficial. 

The  Chinese  saw  with  astonishment  their  children  taught  to 
read  in  a  few  days,  instead  of  spending  years  in  painful  toil, 


56  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

as  they  must  with  the  native  characters.  Old  women  of  three- 
score and  ten,  and  ilh'terate  servants  and  laborers,  on  their  con- 
version, found  by  this  means  their  eyes  opened  to  read  in  their 
own  tongue  wherein  they  were  born  the  wonderful  works  of 
God.  So  manifest  were  the  advantages  of  the  new  system  that 
at  one  time  I  imagined  it  would  spread  among  the  non-Chris- 
tian Chinese.  Up  to  the  present  date  this  expectation  has  not, 
however,  been  realized,  but  a  similar  experiment  has  been  suc- 
cessfully tried  at  Amoy  and  Shanghai. 

It  ought  to  be  tried  on  the  Mandarin  dialect,  which  is  current 
through  more  than  half  the  empire,  though,  this  being  written 
with  Chinese  characters,  there  is  no  urgent  necessity  for  seek- 
ing another  vehicle.  If  the  ex])eriment  were  satisfactory  —  and 
it  could  hardly  be  otherwise — who  knows  but  some  enliglitened 
emperor  might  give  it  countenance,  and  make  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage, as  written  with  Roman  characters,  a  medium  for  pub- 
lic instruction?  Indeed,  the  Mongol  Kublai  Khan  is  said  to 
have  attempted  something  of  the  sort ;  but  for  success  in  such 
an  undertaking  imperial  power  is  not  the  sole  requisite. 

'I'he  Ningpo  dialect,  though  pleasant  to  the  car  and  casv  of 
acquisition,  is  limited  in  territorial  extent,  being  conllned  to  a 
radius  of  fifty  miles  and  a  ]X)j)ulation  of  one  or  two  millions, 
of  whom  three  hundred  thousand  live  in  the  city  and  suburbs. 
In  the  South  it  shades  off  through  cognate  dialects  into  the 
polytonic  group  of  Fu-kien  ;  and  in  the  North  atid  West  into 
the  harsher  as|)irations  of  the  Mandarin  family. 

In  applving  our  new  mode  of  writing,  each  syllable  is  divided 
into  initial  and  final,  the  syllable  ;////^''  being,  for  instance, 
sijelled  n-ing;  //c^//;'',  h-ang ;  /on;^,  l-<'>ii,^',  etc.;  the  fuia/,  in 
everv  case,  being  regarded  as  a  sim})le  vowel,  hke  a  in  ^^ 
'I'lie  new  alphabet  consists,  therefore,  of  a  series  of  initials  and 
finals,  less  tlian  fifty  in  number,  and  when  these  are  acMjuired 
their  combination  in  s])elling  is  as  simjile  as  a  word  of  two  let- 
ters.    This  ingenious  simpiincation  was  introduced  by  Messrs. 


LEARNIXG    THE   LANGUAGE  57 

Cobbold  and  Russell,  who  borrowed  it  from  a  rough  kind  of 
spelling  found  in  Chinese  dictionaries,  for  which  the  Chinese 
in  turn  are  indebted  to  the  Buddhists  of  India.  I'he  Emperor 
Kanghi,  in  his  personal  memoirs,  prides  himself  on  its  intro- 
duction. Here  are  two  lines  of  an  ode  for  children,  written 
by  Dr.  McCartee,  and  printed  in  the  Roman  letter  (the  sylla- 
bles are  numbered  to  aid  comparison) : 

"  Lae  ii!:;;-ln  l<eli-pan  sla^-siao  iiyinj.^, 
123  45 

N<^o  iao  tell  iii;-Ia  wo  ili  sinj^." 
123         4567 

"  Come,  all  yc  little  ones,  I  pray; 
I         324         5 
I  liave  a  woid  to  you  to  say." 
126734  5 

One  of  the  most  useful  books  prepared  in  the  colloquial 
tongue  was  a  hymn-book  compiled  by  the  Rev.  H.  V.  Rankin. 
I  contributed  two  or  three  hymns,  that  contitiue  to  be  favorites  ; 
but  the  majority  were  made  by  my  brother,  who  was  gifted  with 
a  rare  facility  in  versification.  To  learn  to  speak  the  Ningpo, 
or  indeed  any  dialect  of  Chinese,  is  a  simple  affair  in  compari- 
son with  the  reading  of  the  learned  language  as  it  is  found  in 
the  native  books.  Addressed  to  the  eye  rather  than  to  the  ear, 
this  learned  style  is,  as  Dr.  IMedhurst  said,  an  occulai^i',  not  a 
language.  Its  words,  of  which  five  or  six  thousand  are  in  com- 
mon use,  are  represented  each  by  a  distinct  symbol.  So  arbi- 
trary and  vague  are  the  relations  between  tliem  as  to  make  any 
system  of  classification  incomplete,  and  convert  the  task  of  ac- 
quisition into  a  dead  lift  of  memory.  It  Ix-gan  in  picture-writ- 
ing, but,  like  the  Egyptian,  soon  passed  into  a  phonetic  stage, 
though  it  remains  in  a  state  of  arrested  development,  without 
an  alphabet. 

With  the  local  dialect  I  was  compelled  to  begin  in  order 


58  A    CYCLE    OF   CAT// AY 

to  put  myself  in  communication  with  the  people,  as  well  as  to 
find  my  way  into  the  higher  mysteries  of  this  ideographic  sys- 
tem, which  I  shall  call  the  "book-language."  In  six  months 
I  made  an  attempt  at  preaching.  Mr.  Rankin  proposing  to 
open  the  exercises  with  prayer,  I  did  not  object,  but  said  I  could 
hardly  ask  the  Lord  to  convert  anybody  by  means  so  feeble. 
In  another  six  months  I  had  acquired  a  free  command  of  a 
pretty  large  vocabulary.  In  the  third  half-year  was  composed 
my  first  and  perhaps  my  best  h)-mn,  beginning,  To  dziug  todziug 
Tien-  Vii  Tsiiig-Ji/ig. 

One  objection  to  the  new  mode  of  writing  the  colloquial  was 
its  tendency  to  divert  missionaries  from  the  study  of  the  ancient 
books.  On  others  it  may  have  had  that  efi'ect,  but  not  on  me. 
Within  three  months  of  my  arrival,  i.e.,  as  soon  as  I  could  under- 
stand the  explanations  of  a  native  teacher,  I  ajjplied  myself  with 
vigor  to  the  study  of  the  book-language.  From  religious  tracts 
and  native  story-books,  I  entered  on  the  classics,  completing 
witliin  the  first  five  years  the  reading  of  the  nine  chief  works 
which  form  the  basis  of  Chinese  literature.  But  for  distrac- 
tions, incident  to  active  duty,  I  might  have  accomplished  this  • 
in  a  shorter  time. 

Within  this  ])eriod  I  began  to  em])loy  the  learned  or  classic 
language  for  the  purpose  of  comjiosition,  and  wrote  in  it  the 
Tieii-tao  Sii-yiien  (a  book  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity), 
which  has  been  widely  circulated  and  often  reprinted  both  in 
China  and  in  Ja])an.  It  has,  I  believe,  led  to  the  conversion 
of  many  among  the  educated  classes.      Deo  soli  gloria! 

Of  the  nine  classics  above  referred  to,  five  relate  to  pre-Con- 
fucian  times,  that  is,  prior  to  the  sixth  century  r..c.  Four  con- 
tain the  ])ersc)nal  teachings  of  Confucius  and  his  disciples. 
Native  Christians  can  hardly  be  blamed  if  the}'  discover  in  tliese 
two  collecticjns  a  fanciful  analogy  to  the  Five  IJooks  ol  Moses 
and  the  Four  Cospels,  relating,  as  they  do,  to  something  like 
an  earlier  and  a  later  dispensation.    In  contrast,  however,  with 


LEAKNIXG    THE  LANGUAGE  59 

our  Holy  Scriptures,  the  religious  element  in  them  is  so  faint 
and  feeble  as  to  suggest  the  aurora  borealis  rather  than  the  life- 
giving  sunshine.  'I'hey  recognize,  under  the  names  of  Sliaih^ti 
and  Tien,  a  Supreme  Power,  who  presides  over  the  destinies 
of  men  and  dispenses  rewards  and  punishments ;  but  they  do 
not  inculcate  the  worship  of  that  august  Being.  He  is  conse- 
quently forgotten  by  the  people,  and  his  place  is  usurped  l)y 
idols.  Yet  so  pure  are  the  moral  teachings  of  these  ancient 
writings  that  no  nation,  with  one  exception,  ever  received  from 
antiquity  a  more  precious  heritage.  While  some  of  the  Sacred 
Books  of  the  Hindus  are  unfit  for  translation,  in  the  Chinese 
canon  there  is  nothing  to  offend  the  most  delicate  sense  of 
propriety.  Referring  to  the  nine  works  seriafii/i,  I  may  gi\'e 
a  paragraph  to  each. 

1.  The  "  Book  of  liistory  "  consists  of  fragments  (more  or 
less  modified  by  redaction)  treating  of  the  first  three  dynasties  ; 
and,  prior  to  the  first  (n.c.  2200),  of  a  golden  age,  in  which 
the  throne  was  not  strictly  hereditary,  but  the  prize  of  merit  — 
good  kings  passing  over  their  own  offspring  to  adopt  worthier 
successors. 

2.  The  "  Book  of  Changes,"  supposed  to  date  from  2S00 
li.c,  is  esteemed  an  abyss  of  wisdom  so  profound  that  no  for- 
eigner (and,  some  would  add,  no  Chinese)  can  hope  to  under- 
stand it.  Without  professing  to  understand  it,  I  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  saying  that,  under  the  guise  of  science,  it  is  an  absurd 
system  of  divination,  and  that  it  has  done  more  than  any  other 
book  to  impose  on  the  Chinese  mind  the  fetters  of  o1)structi\-e 
superstition.  It  is  to-day  the  text-book  of  fortune-tellers  of 
every  description,  as  it  was  four  thousand  years  ago. 

3.  The  "  Book  of  Odes,"  an  anthology  of  primitive  poetr\-, 
which  had  its  origin  from  600  to  iioo  B.C.  Invaluable  as  a 
picture  of  life  and  manners,  there  is  little  in  it  to  suggest  the 
fire  and  fancy  of  the  Creek  muse,  and  nothing  resembling  the 
sublime  poetry  of  the  Hebrews.    ''You  should  read  the  'Book 


6o  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

of  Odes,'  "  said  Confucius  to  his  son,  "  and  you  will  learn  the 
names  of  many  birds,  beasts,  and  vegetables." 

4.  The  "  Annals  of  Lu,"  compiled  by  Confucius,  and  charm- 
ingly amplified  by  his  disciple  Tso.  This  work  is  the  recog- 
nized model  for  historic  composition. 

5.  The  "  Book  of  Rites,"  a  collection  of  court  etiquette, 
social  usages,  and  religious  ritual,  which  has  had  a  great  in- 
fluence in  moulding  the  manners  of  the  Chinese  people.  It 
has  made  them  the  most  ceremonious  nation  on  earth. 

The  later  collection,  called  the  Four  Books,  is  the  New  Tes- 
tament of  China,  though  it  resembles  the  Talmud  rather  than 
the  Gospels. 

1.  The  "Analects  or  Sayings  of  Confucius,"  which  form 
the  most  important  part  of  it,  are  so  wise  and  good  that  many 
of  them  have  passed  into  the  current  language  in  the  form  of 
proverbs.  I'he  Sage's  most  remarkable  utterance  is  a  negative 
statement  of  the  golden  rule — answering  exactly  to  that  given 
in  the  Book  of  Tobit,  iv.  i6.* 

2.  The  "Great  Study" — instructions  for  rulers  how  to  ac- 
complish the  "  renovation  of  their  people."  They  are  taught  to 
begin  by  "renewing  themselves"  after  the  example  of  a  good 
emperor  v.'ho  inscribed  on  his  wash-basin  the  words:  "Daily 
renew  thyself."  With  such  precepts  and  such  examples,  is  it 
not  strange  that  social  regeneration  is  the  last  thing  desired 
by  the  Chinese? 

3.  The  "Just  Mean."  This  is  a  theory  of  virtue,  as  the 
mean  l)etween  extremes  of  excess  and  defect  —  elocjuently  set 
forth  by  the  Sage's  grandson,  for  whom  the  Sage  himself  serves 
as  a  perfect  model. 

4.  "Discourses  of  Menrius,"  the  St.  I^uil  of  ihc  ("(Mifucian 
school,  wlu),  born  a  hundred  and  eiglitv  years  later  tlian  Con- 
fucius, re\i\-e(l  his  doctrines  and  ga\-e  them  currency.  He 
jtreached  the  princij)les  of  his  master  witli  the  zeal  of  an  ai)os- 

*  QhccI  all  alio  (>i/rr/s,  -.•'uh-  iie  In  alliTi  facitu;. 


LEAKNIXG    THE   LAXGUAGE  6l 

tie,  and  rebuked  vice   in  high  pkices  with  the  courage  of  a 
liel)re\v  prophet. 

Ikiilding  on  this  fair  foundation,  the  Chinese  have,  in  the 
course  of  twenty-three  centuries,  erected  a  magnificent  struc- 
ture.     Its  leading  sections  are: 

1.  Histories  vast  in  extent  and  containing  an  unparalleled 
wealth  of  recorded  facts,  India  has  nothing  to  compare  with 
them. 

2.  Philosophers,  acute  and  daring  in  speculation,  but  by  no 
means  scientific  in  method. 

3.  Poets,  nearly  all  of  the  lyric  order,  some  of  whcjm  may 
challenge  comparison  with  those  of  Greece  or  Rome. 

4.  Novelists,  who  developed  the  modern  novel  a  thousand 
years  before  its  appearance  in  oiir  horizon. 

Will  not  this  colossal  literature,  in  which  is  mirrored  the  life 
of  one  of  the  grandest  divisions  of  the  human  race,  some  day 
claim  a  place  in  our  seats  of  learning? 

The  following  will  serve  to  exemplify  the  origin  of  Chinese 
writing,  and  the  manner  in  which  pictures  of  objects  came  to  ex- 
press attributes. 

TABLE   OV   CIIINKSE    CHARACTEliS. 

^  7/',  the  sun,  its  outline   proving  that  the  Chinese  knew 

M  how  to  square  the  circle  a  long  time  ago.     Does  not  the 

dot  inside  indicate  that  there  are  si)ots  on  the  sun,  a  fact 

which  the  Chinese  were  among  the  first  to  observe? 

^   Yiiili,  the  moon,  not  taken  at  the  full,  because  that  might 

El  l)e  confused  with  the  sun,  but  in  her  ordinary  state  of 

'^  incompleteness,  the  curved  lines,  as  in  other  characters, 

being  made  angular  to  suit  the  modern  pencil. 

M^       Jin,  man,  the  prince  of  bipeds,  his  head  being  omitted 
^^  as  of  no  great  importance. 

•J*       J/////,  a  tree  or  wood,  its  branches,  by  the  rule  of  con- 
^I^^  traries,  turning  down  instead  of  up. 


62  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


Kung,  a  bow. 


67///,  a  wheeled  vehicle.     Seen  from  above,  tl:e  wheels 
are  projected  as  lines,  and  the  body  as  a  square. 


y^  Kou,  mouth. 

i)  Pi   ^^^"Si  bright ;  an  idea  suggested  by  combining  the  two 
Jiyj   brightest  objects. 

^^     Taii^  morning;  from  the  sun  rising  out  of  the  sea. 
^M  Si/i,  evening ;  from  the  moon,  slightly  varied. 


C//'///,  prisoner;  a  man  shut  up  by  four  walls. 
Z///,  grove,  forest ;  from  trees  standing  together. 


,^^^1^  A7//,  to  forbid  ;  from  two  trees  and  the  verb  "  to  show." 

-rrr 

Ld/i,  to  desire  or  covet ;  a  woman  under  two  trees. 

This  and  the  preceding,  say  the  Jesuit  fathers,  point  back 
to  the  garden  of  I^den! 

A'h7,  family ;  a  pig  under  shelter,  as  a  sign  of  settled  hfe. 
Rjl   //?//,  to  ask.  Jj^l    Jir/i,  to  hear. 

These  last,  like  most  Chinese  characters,  consist  of  two 
parts,  a  plioiictic  and  a  radical  ;  the  former  giving  tlie  aj)})ro.\i- 
mate  sound,  llie  latter  tlie  sense  in  general,    in  one  is  a  mouth. 


LEARXIXG    THE   L.LViiC'ACK  63 

in  tlie  otlier  an  ear,  to  dilTerentiate  tlie  meaning  of  similar 
sounds  now  marked  by  different  tones,  but  anciently  identical. 

Yi/i,  to  draw  or  lead,  as  a  string  does  a  bow. 

Ilii/ig,  to  rumble  or  roar,  like  many  chariots ;  hence,  to 
boml)ard. 

These  examples  afford  a  hint  of  the  charm  attaching  to  the 
study  of  Chinese  characters ;  tracing  them  from  the  simple 
germ  of  object-pictures  through  the  complex  combinations  by 
which  they  form  all  the  parts  of  speech  and  express  all  the 
concepts  of  the  mind.  But  I  am  here  not  writing  a  grammar 
or  a  lexicon. 

One  day  a  Chinaman  addressed  me  on  this  wise:  "Assay! 
spose  wanchee  tail  pidgin?  "  Here  was  a  lingo  I  had  never 
learned.  "What  could  he  mean?  Had  he  pigeons  for  sale? 
Thev  count  fish  by  the  tail  as  we  count  cows  by  the  head  — 
did  they  count  birds  in  the  same  way?  By  dint  of  question- 
ing I  found  out  that  he  desired  to  know  whether  I  had  any 
work  for  a  tailor:  "I  say!  suppose  you  want  tailor  business 
done,  here  I  am."  He  was  speaking  "pidgin-English,"  a 
lingua  franca  much  employed  in  the  open  ports  as  a  substitute 
for  Chinese.  It  grew  up  at  Canton  from  the  practice  of  learn- 
ing English  without  a  master — the  little  manuals  prepared  by 
the  natives  giving  sounds  incorrectly  and  syntax  not  at  all. 
The  following  specimens  mav  help  the  reader  to  form  an  idea 
of  it ;  but  should  any  one  go  to  China  he  will  find  to  his 
cost  that  pidgin-English,  like  any  other  language,  requires 
time  and  attention  to  speak  it  correctly,  not  to  say  with  ele- 
gance. 

Master  (hearing  music  in  next  house).  Boy!  what  for 
makee  too  muchee  bobbery  that  side? 


64  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Servant.  He  cachee  one  piecee  bull  chilo  (he  is  celebrating 
the  birth  of  a  son). 

Master.  That  piecee  boat,  what  for  have  got  eye? 

Servant.  No  got  eye,  how  can  see?  No  can  see,  how  can 
sabby  [know  the  way)?  (N.  B.  All  Chinese  junks  are  pro- 
vided with  eyes.) 

Master  (concerned  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  heathen). 
Spose  you  learn  joss  pidgin  (religion)  all  right :  be  number  one, 
good  man ;  makee  die  can  go  topside  (to  heaven)  chopchop 
(quickly). 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  have  published  the 
Scriptures  in  the  negro-English  of  Jamaica ;  will  they  not 
consider  the  advisability  of  giving  the  Chinese  an  edition  in 
pidgin-English? 

Here  is  a  verse  of  Longfellow's  "  Excelsior,"  which  will 
serv^e  to  show  its  adaptation  to  psalmody : 

"  That  nightee  time  begin  chop-chop. 
One  young  man  walkee ;   no  can  stop. 
Maskee  dc  snow;  maskee  de  ice! 
lie  carry  flag  wid  chop  so  nice — 
Topside  galow." 


chaptp:r  IV 


SCENES    IN    NINGPO 


The  new  church  —  Natives  seeking  a  lost  soul  —  Well  disposed;  why  ?  — 
Study  of  Mandarin  —  Tried  converts  —  Chapel  preaching  —  Casting 
out  a  devil  —  Idol  processions — Theatricals  for  the  gods— The  Chinese 
drama — Eyeless  deities  —  Releasing  a  prisoner  —  Military  antics 

ON  the  river-bank  opposite  the  city  stood  a  row  of  pretty- 
bungalows —  dwellings  and  schools  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission.  The  site  was  breezy  and  supposed  to  be  healthier 
than  the  interior  of  the  city  ;  yet,  when  the  question  of  a  house 
for  myself  and  family  came  up,  I  decided  in  favor  of  the  city. 
I  wished  to  be  near  the  people ;  the  English  Church  mission- 
aries were  there ;  and  what  they  could  stand,  we  could.  JMy 
colleagues  remonstrated,  and  refused  to  build  us  a  house  within 
the  walls ;  but  my  wife  and  I,  not  to  be  turned  from  our  pur- 
pose, agreed  to  accept  a  small  building  attached  to  our  new 
church,  intended  for  a  native  catechist.  There  I  spent  six 
years,  the  most  fruitful  of  my  life ;  and  there  I  came  to  know 
the  people  as  I  could  not  had  I  been  content  to  view  them  at 
a  distance. 

The  church  was  erected  by  the  joint  contribution  of  a 
"  Brodier  and  Sister,"  the  Lenoxes  of  New  York.  Its  foun- 
dations were  laid  about  the  time  of  our  aiTival,  and  I  took  my 
turn  with  other  members  of  the  mission  in  standing  as  watch- 
man on  the  walls  of  Zion,  to  see  that  our  Chinese  contractors 
did  not  fill  in  with  wood,  hay,  and  stubble,  instead  of  solid 
brick. 

65 


66  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

This  edifice,  designed  by  the  Rev.  M.  S.  Culbertson,  having 
a  handsome  portico  with  Corinthian  cokmins,  excited  so  pow- 
erfully the  curiosity  of  the  natives  that  an  enterprising  artist 
found  it  worth  while  to  circulate  a  representation  of  it  engraved 
on  wood,  and  labeled  the  "  New  Eell-Tower."  Crowds  came 
to  see  it,  and  when  it  was  nearly  ccjmpleted  they  were  freely 
admitted  to  inspect  the  inside,  in  order  to  prevent  or  allay 
suspicion. 

Early  one  Sunday  morning  a  mob  came  thundering  at  our 
gate,  demanding  admission  to  the  church.  This  time  thev  were 
actuated  by  motives  more  serious  than  curiosity.  A  weeping 
mother  led  the  way ;  and  when  I  inquired  what  she  wanted, 
she  re[)lied  that  her  little  boy  "  had  lost  his  soul  in  the  church 
the  day  before,  and  she  wished  access  to  the  interior  to  look 
for  it."  The  child,  who  had  been  i)laying  there,  had,  on  going 
home,  been  taken  with  a  sudden  fe\-er  (from  e\i)()sure  to  the 
sun,  perhaps),  and  was  then  delirious.  In  delirium  the  rational 
soul  is  supposed  to  be  absent,  and  in  this  case  its  absence  was 
ascribed  to  a  fright  caused  by  looking  up  to  the  height  of  the 
edifice,  or  down  from  some  elevation  to  which  the  boy  had 
climbed.  The  soul,  according  to  the  poor  woman's  belief,  was 
still  hovering  in  the  hall  like  a  bewildered  bird.  Entering  the 
church  with  a  bundle  of  the  ])oy's  garments,  they  i)rayed  the 
aniinula  ragula  to  perch  on  the  bundle  and  return  to  its  rest- 
ing-place. This  done,  they  departed,  firmly  persuaded  that 
they  had  captured  the  fugitive  soul. 

The  people  of  Ningpo  were  well  disposed  toward  us,  because, 
as  they  said,  they  had  "  experienced  kind  treatment  at  the  hands 
of  the  British  during  the  war."  The  citv  being  occuj)ie<l  after 
a  battle  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  inhabitants  were  aston- 
ishef]  tf)  be  protected  instead  of  pillaged.  lUTorc  the  battle 
they  were  in  mortal  terror — in  dread  of  the  "  ixd  haired  bar^ 
barians,"  and  in  erpial  dread  of  their  own  soldiers.  They  were 
ne\-er  tired  of  telling  how  Dr.  Cutzlaff,  formerly  a  mi>sionary 


SCENES  EV  NEXGPO  67 

at  Hong  Kong,  had  been  installed  in  the  yamen  of  the  prefect, 
and  how  careful  he  was  to  see  justice  done,  so  that  if  a  soldier 
bagged  a  fowl  it  had  to  be  brought  back  or  paid  for.  Not 
only  did  this  state  of  feeling  make  it  safe  and  pleasant  for  us 
to  promenade  the  streets — it  opened  to  us  the  doors  of  many 
families. 

A  man  of  wealth  invited  us  to  preach  in  his  house.  He 
was  a  Confucianist,  by  no  means  so  tolerant  of  idolatry  as 
most  of  his  sect.  He  had  heard,  he  said,  that  we  were  carry- 
ing on  a  crusade  against  idols,  and  he  desired  us  to  persuade 
the  women  of  his  household  to  give  up  the  worship  of  Bud- 
dha and  cease  to  frequent  idol  temples.  Official  proclama- 
tions are  often  issued  forbidding  women  to  visit  the  temples ; 
and  a  book,  composed  by  an  emperor,  exhorts  them  to  desist 
from  the  practice ;  but  neither  threats  nor  persuasions  seem 
to  have  any  efTect.  Nor  on  this  occasion  were  our  teachings 
more  efficacious. 

Our  house  was  always  open  to  visitors,  strangers  from  five 
different  provinces  sometimes  meeting  in  our  parlor  at  one 
time.  We  were  surrounded  by  yamens,  the  residences  of  offi- 
cials, many  of  whom  made  polite  calls ;  while  the  ladies  ex- 
changed visits  with  my  wife.  For  society  of  this  kind  I  soon 
found  the  local  dialect  inadequate,  and  took  up  the  study  of 
Mandarin,  which  is  not  merely  the  speech  of  court  and  officers, 
but  a  common  medium  for  people  of  various  regions.  Its  ac- 
quisition was  easy,  as  the  Ningpo  is  closely  related  to  it  —  so 
closely,  in  fact,  that  a  Ningpo  man  always  speaks  it  badly  be- 
cause he  does  not  take  the  trouble  to  study  it.  My  Mandarin 
teacher  became  a  Christian,  and  afterward  did  good  service  in 
carrying  the  gospel  to  the  North. 

Our  teacher  Lu,  from  whom  we  had  learned  the  local  dia- 
lect, also  learned  from  us  the  way  of  salvation,  and  became  a 
preacher.  His  wife,  a  refined  and  handsome  woman,  first  fol- 
lowed him  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  then  a  sister,  and  last  of  all 


68  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY- 

his  mother,  a  devout  Buddhist,  who  had  bitterly  opposed  his 
change  of  faitli.  "  ^\'ait,"  she  said,  when  lier  consent  was 
asked,  "  until  I  am  dead,  and  then  you  may  burn  my  bones  if 
you  wish  ;  but,  while  I  live,  keep  clear  of  the  foreign  religion." 
Lu  was  neither  strong  nor  courageous,  but  very  sincere ;  and 
God  gave  him  grace  in  this  instance  to  break  the  bond  of  filial 
piety,  which  in  China  so  often  stands  in  the  way  of  piety  to 
God.  There  is  many  a  would-be  convert  who  says  to  the  mis- 
sionary :  "'Suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father."  It  is 
pleasing  to  be  able  to  relate  that  the  son's  prayers  prevailed, 
and  that  the  old  lady  became  as  zealous  for  Christ  as  she  had 
been  for  Buddha. 

Two  other  converts  brought  into  the  church  about  the  same 
time  were  Dzing  and  Zia  ;  the  former  a  man  whom  I  employed 
in  the  printing  of  romanized  Chinese,  the  other  a  friend  of 
his.  Both  had  been  devout  in  their  way,  leading  a  life  of  vir- 
tue according  to  their  light,  and  striving  to  store  up  merit  by 
the  practice  of  religious  rites. 

I'he  case  of  Zia  merits  a  fuller  notice.  Obtaining  his  first 
notions  of  Christianity  from  his  friend,  he  came  to  me  as  an 
incjuirer,  but  in  a  frame  of  mind  very  different  from  that  of 
most  so-called  inquirers.  He  was  pugnacious  and  acute  in 
argument,  but  withal  reasonable,  and  open  to  conviction.  He 
came  alone,  and,  Nicodcmus-like,  at  night,  bringing  with  him 
a  written  statement  of  his  doubts  and  queries.  One  evening, 
instead  of  this  he  handed  me  a  letter  addressed  to  his  elder 
brother,  wlu)  held  a  lucrative  ofifice  at  the  army  headcpiarters. 
It  ran  tluis :  "  l'"or  more  than  three  months  I  have  been  exam- 
ining into  the  religion  of  Jesus.  Having  plied  the  missionary 
witli  liard  ([ueslions,  all  of  which  he  has  answered  to  my  satis- 
faction, I  know  that  it  is  true,  and  I  am  resolved  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian." His  lirollit-r  inadf  no  serious  opposition  ;  l)Ut  the  tainily 
of  his  fianccr  I)rokc  off  tin-  engagement  witliout  returning  the 
betrothal  presents,  a  circumstance  which  tested  his  lirmncss  in 


SCENES  IN  ixixcro  69 

no  small  degree,  especially,  he  said,  as  he  "had  heard  that  tlie 
young  lady  was  good-looking."  More  serious  yet,  his  employ- 
ers (he  was  clerk  in  a  china-shop)  threatened  to  dismiss  him  ; 
and,  most  serious  of  all,  his  mother  threatened  to  give  liim  a 
beating.  He  manfully  withstood  this  threefold  form  of  temp- 
tation, sacrificed  his  bride,  gave  up  his  business,  and  took  the 
beating,  rather  than  renounce  Christ.  On  the  morning  of  his 
baptism,  his  mother,  failing  to  move  him  by  threats  or  entreat- 
ies, came  to  beg  me,  for  a  mother's  sake,  to  withhold  the  rite. 
Without  yielding  to  her  request,  I  succeeded  in  mollifying  her 
feelings.  This  bold  confessor  I  put  in  (-harge  of  a  school  where 
he  pursued  a  course  in  Christian  theology  while  instructing  his 
pupils.  He  subsequently  became,  and  continues  to  be,  one 
of  the  most  successful  of  a  large  circle  of  native  pastors,  pos- 
sessing in  a  high  degree  "  grace,  grit,  and  gumption,"  the  three 
(jualities  which  the  Rev.  Ciriffith  John  lays  down  as  essential 
to  the  success  of  a  missionary. 

These  young  converts  had  to  be  examined  for  admission  to 
a  church  of  which  I  was  not  pastor,  and  their  answers  touch- 
ing the  mystery  of  the  hvpostatic  union  of  persons  in  the  Trin- 
ity came  very  near  getting  their  instructor  into  trouble.  Their 
statements  were  objected  to  as  smacking  of  Sabellianism,  which 
in  them  was  imputed  to  ignorance,  but  in  me  was  denounced 
as  error.  Two  members  of  the  Shanghai  Mission,  hearing  of 
my  heresy,  addressed  me  letters  of  expostulation.  One  was 
from  my  friend  Culbertson,  and  in  tone  was  so  moderate  and 
rational  that  we  were  able  to  exchange  a  good  manv  epistles 
without  exhausting  the  subject  or  our  stock  of  good-temjH-r. 

One  advantage  of  my  residence  within  the  walls  was  the  op- 
portunity it  alTorded  for  conducting  evening  meetings  in  our 
city  chapels.  The  smaller  of  these  chapels,  with  seats  for  two 
hundred,  was  often  crowded  with  an  audience  consisting  mostly 
of  artisans,  who  after  their  day's  work  came  in  to  hear  an  ex- 
position of  one  of  our  Lord's  wonderful  parables.     As  they 


"JO  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

went  away  I  more  than  once  heard  them  say  to  one  another, 
"  'I'hat  discourse  was  better  than  a  theatrical." 

In  the  larger  chapel,  or  church,  as  we  called  it,  my  audience 
was  more  select.  It  consisted  in  part  of  educated  men,  some 
of  whom  were  teachers  and  preachers  in  the  service  of  other 
missions.  Feeling  the  want  of  a  work  on  Christian  apologetics 
or  evidences,  I  resolved  to  make  one,  the  Ticn-iao  Su-ytten 
mentioned  in  Chapter  III.  Arranging  the  topics  in  my  own 
mind,  I  made  them  the  subject  of  my  evening  discourses — not 
merely  presenting  my  views,  but  discussing  them  with  my  hear- 
ers. Each  morning  I  put  into  shape  the  matter  which  had 
been  rendered  warm  and  malleable  by  the  discussion  of  the 
previous  evening.  I  followed  no  authority,  translated  no  page 
of  any  text-book,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  referred  to  one  in  the 
course  of  my  lectures.  Matter  and  form  grew  out  of  the  occa- 
sion, the  result  being  a  live  book,  adapted  to  the  taste  as  well 
as  to  the  wants  of  the  Chinese. 

One  evening  before  service,  going  into  a  school-room  above 
the  chapel,  I  noticed  a  rusty  sword  hanging  on  the  wall. 

"  A\'hose  is  it,"  I  asked,  "and  why  is  it  here?" 

"  It  belongs  to  one  of  my  friends,"  said  the  chnpel-keeper ; 
"  I  borrowed  it  to  frighten  away  an  evil  spirit.  The  spirits,  I 
am  told,  are  afraid  of  a  knife  that  has  been  stained  with 
human  blood." 

"  I>ut  what  have  you  to  do  with  evil  spirits?" 

"  I  am  not  much  troubled  in  that  way  myself,  but  my  sis- 
ter-in-law is  grievously  tormented  by  one  that  pays  her  a  visit 
every  evening.  Thinking  a  devil  would  not  dare  to  enter  the 
house  of  Cod,  we  brought  her  in  here  last  night,  and  hung  the 
sword  on  the  wall." 

"And  did  the  sj)irit  stay  av^'aj'?" 

"  Xo,  ncjt  altogether;  but  he  seemed  afraid,  and  did  not  vex 
her  much." 

"  Xo  wonder,"  said  I ;  "your  faith  was  not  strong  enough. 


SCEA'ES  LV  NINGPO 


?1 


Vou  and  your  sister-in-law  ought  to  have  trusted  in  God  and 
not  in  a  rusty  sword." 

I  then  went  to  see  the  patient,  a  pretty  young  woman  of 
twenty-five,  and  finding  that  she  needed  medicine  as  well  as 
instruction,  I  gave  her  a  dose  of  castor-oil. 

Inquiring  a  few  days  later,  I  was  told  that  the  evil  spirit  had 
not  come  again,  ''  being  put  to  flight  by  the  bad  smell  of  the 
medicine,"  as,  in  the  Book  of  Tobit,  Asmodeus  flies  from  the 
smell  of  fish-gall.  This  was  my  first  and  last  experience  in 
casting  out  a  devil. 

At  Ningpo  a  divinity  much  worshiped,  because  feared,  is  the 
thunder-god.  \Miile  I  was  there  a  poet  of  local  repute  com- 
posed a  commentary  on  the  ritual 
for  his  service  —  as  an  expiation 
for  the  crime  of  publishing  im- 
moral verses,  and  to  ward  off  his 
dreaded  l^olts. 

In  all  the  cities  of  China  ex- 
cept Peking,  idol  processions  are 
frequent,  and  sometimes  they  are 
splenditl  and  ccTslly.  In  the  cap- 
ital they  are  forbidden,  through 
fear  that  thev  might  be  made 
to  cover  an  insurrection.  Else- 
wht-re'  they  are  occasionally  pro- 

hil)iteil,  but  for  the  most  part  they  are  encouraged  by  the 
officials,  as  gratifying  a  taste  for  spectacles  and  tending  to 
di\-ert  the  jniblic  mind  from  politics.  At  Ningpo  the  most 
popular  is  that  in  honor  of  the  dragon.  An  immense  effigv  of 
painted  silk  is  borne  bv  hundreds  of  men,  whose  heads  are  con- 
cealed beneath  its  scalv  folds  as  thev  wind  through  the  narrow 
streets,  presenting  more  the  aspect  of  a  huge  centipede  than 
the  flying  monster  it  is  supposed  to  represent.  This  is  followed 
by  a  troop  of  fairies  floating  in  the  air;  each  fairy  being  a  liv- 


THE   THUNUEK-GiiD    HLRLINX;    DEATH- 
BOl.TS. 


72  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

ing  girl,  often  of  great  beauty,  and  gorgeously  attired,  supported 
by  a  framework  of  wires  so  contrived  as  to  be  invisible.  These 
are  followed  by  all  sorts  of  objects,  rare  and  strange.  In  one 
instance  a  pair  of  turkeys,  borrowed  from  the  British  consul, 
were  seen  in  the  parade.  By  these  shows  the  gods  are  thought 
to  be  proi)itiated,  as  also  by  theatrical  performances.  Every 
temple  is  i)rovided  with  a  stage  directly  in  front  of  the  idols, 
which  are  regarded  as  the  chief  spectators;  though  as  the 
meats  offered  to  them  provide  a  feast  for  the  people,  so  theat- 
ricals given  to  the  gods  are  enjoyed  gratis  by  the  populace. 

Spectators  are  expected  to  stand,  as  there  are  seldom  any 
seats  in  a  temple.  Whether  they  listen  depends,  therefore,  as 
much  on  their  muscular  endurance  as  on  the  drawing-power 
of  the  troupe.  Whether  sung  like  an  opera  or  declaimed,  as 
usual,  in  a  strange  dialect,  the  play  would  be  unintelligible  but 
for  the  costumes  and  acting.  Still  it  exercises  a  strange  fas- 
cination, and,l)eing  almost  always  historical,  it  serves  to  teach 
history  and  to  inculcate  virtue,  as  much  as  in  ancient  Greece, 
where 

"  To  purify  with  jiity  and  witli  dread, 
Sage  tragedy  lier  moral  lesson  spread." 

Lascivious  plays  are,  however,  not  unknown  ;  and  partly  on 
that  account,  but  more  because  of  lewd  j)ractices  connectetl 
with  the  theater,  women  are  not  permitted  to  appear  on  the 
boards  or  to  look  at  the  spectacle.  'Hieatricals  in  private 
houses  are,  however,  excm})t  from  official  censorship.  China 
has  her  Clarrick  and  Kemble,  but  no  Siddons  or  Ik^rnhardt. 
AV'orst  of  all,  she  has  never  had  a  Shakespeare.  Few  jjlays 
jiossess  any  literary  merit,  and,  like  illegitimate  offspring,  they 
live  or  die  unacknowledged  by  their  authors.  To  the  Chinese 
there  would  be  nothing  incre(lil)lc  in  tlie  tlieory  that  the  real 
Shakespeare  was  Bacon.  So  great  is  tlie  influence  of  the 
drama,  that  liuddhists,  like  some  of  the  Christian  fathers,  have 


SCEXES  IX  x/X(;/'0  73 

attempted  to  make  use  of  it  to  inculcate  tlieir  religion.  Such 
plays,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  are  too  dull  to  please  the  public, 
as  they  lack  the  piquancy  of  vice. 

In  Chinese  theaters,  even  the  best  appointed,  there  is  no  at- 
tempt at  scenic  effect,  the  only  outward  aid  to  the  imagination 
being  a  change  of  raiment,  often  effected  in  full  view  of  the 
audience.  The  actor  in  every  case  announces  himself,  and  it 
seems  strange  to  see  one  who  has  just  been  playing  the  villain 
strut  on  to  the  stage  in  gorgeous  apparel  and  announce,  "  I  am 
your  humble  servant,  the  emperor"  —  ///a  hcui//  Ihi'angii  sJiiye. 

The  young  brother  of  a  rich  banker  one  day  applied  to  Mr. 
Eurlingame  for  the  loan  of  a  suit  of  clothes  — explaining  that  he 
was  going  to  personate  a  foreigner.  The  minister  kindly  ac- 
commodated him;  but  it  is  doubtful  that  he  would  have  done 
so  if  he  had  known  the  role  to  be  played.  The  foreigner  in 
such  cases  is  not  merely  the  butt  of  ridicule  :  he  is  always  beaten 
in  l)attle  ;  and  after  being  kicked  and  cuffed,  he  is  chased  off 
the  stage  amid  the  vociferous  applause  of  a  patriotic  crowd. 

Near  the  center  of  the  city  stood  a  ruined  temple  of  vast 
dimensions.  Its  dilapidated  hall  retained  no  trace  of  its  former 
grandeur  except  two  rows  of  gigantic  idols — nine  on  either  side. 
These  were  the  eighteen  lohan  ("arhats  "),  deified  disciples  of 
Buddha.  Noticing  one  da}-  that  instead  of  eves  they  had  only 
hollow  cavities,  "What  has  become  of  their  eves?"  I  asked, 
turning  to  a  crowd  who  had  gathered  about  me. 

"  They  were  made  of  jewels,  and  thieves  have  stolen  them," 
was  the  reply. 

"Are  these,  then,  the  godsvou  look  Xo  for  protection  —  gods 
that  are  incapable  of  protecting  their  own  eves?  " 

They  laughetl  heartily  at  this  home  thrust,  and  I  proceeded 
to  speak  to  them  of  Him  who  planted  the  ear.  formed  the  eye, 
and  endowed  us  with  understanding  —  that  we  might  seek  after 
Him  and  find  Him. 

Nothing  is  easier  than  to  make  the  Chinese  laugh  at  the  ab- 


74  A    CYCLE    OF  CATIIAV 

surdities  of  idolatry,  nor  is  anything  more  difficult  than  to  per- 
suade them  to  give  their  idols  up.  I  have  known  missionaries 
who  made  it  a  point  to  provoke  merriment  by  exposing  the 
ridiculous  side  of  idolatry,  but  I  thought  they  might  have  made 
a  better  impression  had  they  taken  it  on  the  pathetic  side.  Is 
it  not  Cowper  who  says  : 

"  'Tis  pitiful  to  court  a  grin 

When  you  sliould  woo  a  soul  "? 

In  the  fall  of  1853  Shanghai  was  taken  by  a  body  of  rebels, 
not  Taipings,  but  Iriads  ;  a  secret  society,  so  called  from  a  form 
of  oath  which  appeals  to  Heaven,  Earth,  and  Man,  the  trinity 
of  powers  in  the  Chinese  universe.  The  event  caused  much 
excitement  at  Ningpo,  so  near  are  the  two  seaports  and  so 
intimate  their  business  relations.  Everybody  at  Ningpo  was 
expecting  a  similar  rising,  and  the  authorities  were  on  the  look- 
oiU  for  rebel  emissaries.  One  Sunday,  just  as  I  was  opening 
our  afternoon  service,  a  messenger  came  to  say  tliat  a  tailor, 
known  to  many  of  our  peojile,  had  been  arrested  as  a  s])v,  and 
was  about  to  be  led  out  to  execution.  No  time  was  to  be  lost, 
for  executions  were  not  attended  with  many  formalities  in 
those  days,  though,  in  normal  times,  the  sanction  of  the  em- 
peror has  to  l)e  obtnined.  Explaining  to  the  congregation 
that  when  an  ass  falls  into  a  pit  it  is  a  duly  to  draw  him  out 
on  the  Sabl)ath  day,  and  charging  them  to  pray  for  my  suc- 
cess, I  hurried  away  to  see  the  mayor,  lie  rccei\ed  me  cour- 
teously, and  told  me  that  tlie  young  man  had  been  examined 
(doubtless  by  scourging  and  suspension  by  the  thumbs,  though 
he  did  not  say  so)  ;  that  no  confession  had  as  yet  been  ol)- 
tained  ;  but  that  a  brass  ])a(lge  had  been  found  on  his  j)erson, 
which  made  it  certain  that  lie  belonged  to  a  secret  society. 

"  Here  it  is,"  he  added,  pro(lu(-.ing  the  oliject  witli  an  air  of 
confidence  that  seemed  to  say,  "Now  there's  an  end  of  the 
matter." 


SCEXES  /X  A'/XGPO  75 

Oil  one  side  was  the  image  of  a  woman,  with  the  words,  La 
Foiidatricc  dcs  Ursulincs;  on  the  other  the  legend,  Ellc  est  ma 
mire. 

"  Is  tliat  all  ?  "  inquired  the  magistrate,  when  I  had  trans- 
lated the  inscriptions.  "  Then  I  may  let  him  go."  Scarcely 
had  I  time  to  reach  home  when  the  poor  fellow  appeared 
under  guard  and  was  handed  over  to  me,  naked,  bruised,  and 
emaciated  from  ten  days  of  maltreatment. 

Not  far  from  our  house  was  a  parade-ground,  to  which  I 
sometimes  went  to  see  military  exercises.  Nothing  could  be 
more  amusing.  The  performance  that  ranked  highest  on  the 
scale  was  horseback  archery.  A  trench  was  cut  a  hundred 
paces  in  length,  to  spare  the  rider  the  trouble  of  guiding  his 
steed.  All  he  had  to  do  was  to  start  him  in  the  trench,  prick 
him  to  a  gallop,  and  as  he  passed  a  target,  distant  some  twenty 
or  thirty  paces,  let  fly  his  arrow.  Mostly  the  arrows  flew  wide 
of  the  mark  —  so  wide,  indeed,  that  one  day  I  saw  a  spectator 
brought  down  by  a  shot  in  the  leg.  Protected  by  a  high  satin 
boot,  not  much  harm  was  done;  but  the  occun"ence  excited  as 
much  commotion  as  if  a  battle  had  taken  place. 

Sham  fights  frequently  drew  me  to  the  place,  and  were  a  favor- 
ite maneuver.  Two  lines  of  troops  stood  facing  each  other, 
one  simulating  tigers,  clad  in  yellow  uniforms  with  black  stripes, 
their  caps  duly  garnished  with  ears  and  bristles ;  the  others, 
adorned  with  horns  and  shining  scales,  were  supposed  to  rep- 
resent dragons,  though  not  mounted  like  our  dragoons.  At 
beat  of  drum  they  leaped  into  the  air,  and  closed  in  combat, 
howling  and  roaring.  No  weapons  were  used,  feats  of  indi- 
vidual strength  taking  their  place.  He  was  deemed  victorious 
who  could  seize  an  antagonist  and  drag  or  carry  him  away  as 
a  prisoner.  The  combat  ended,  they  further  tested  their 
strength  by  striving,  like  Ajax, 

"  Some  stone's  huge  weiglu  to  throw," 


76 


A    CYCLE    Oh-   CATHAY 


or  brandishing  a  sword  that  might  weigh  a  hundred  pounds. 
Nothing  answering  to  our  modern  drill  liad  then  been  intro- 
duced. 'I'he  text-book  of  tactics  was  still  that  of  Sun  Wu, 
which  dates  from  550  b.c.  Yet  these  people  had  seen  British 
soldiers,  and  been  beaten  by  them!  Most  of  the  soldiers  had 
the  word  "  brave  "  stamped  on  their  breasts,  and  on  their  backs 
as  well. 


A  CiiioLi'  oi'   i;i 


(•■11-  I'ACic  7S.) 


CHAPTER    V 


SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS 


A  liberal  Buddhist  —  ("iiniiiiig  l)CL;gars — Invocation  of  devils  —  Impreca- 
tions and  curses  —  Curious  comnieniorations  —  Women  at  a  tenijjle 
—  Avatar  of  rain-god  —  Cliasing  tlie  flooil-fiend — Evils  of  opium 

IN  those  early  days,  when  impressions  were  fresli  and  ol>ser- 
vation  alert,  something  occurred  almost  every  day  to  throw 
light  on  the  character  of  the  people.  A  few  t)f  the  more  note- 
worthy incidents  I  cull  for  this  and  the  succeeding  chapter, 
leaving  them  to  speak  for  themselves,  without  much  in  the  way 
of  comment. 

In  seasons  of  drought,  which  occurred  pretty  fre(}uently,  the 
city  was  infested  by  beggars.  Official  relief  was  distributed, 
and  the  missionaries  gave  alms  as  they  were  able.  The  abbot 
of  a  large  l>uddhist  monastery,  a  man  of  learning,  who  was  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  me,  came  one  day  with  a  na'ive  proposal 
for  cooperation  in  the  work  of  relieving  the  poor.  "  You  for- 
eigners," said  he,  "  have  plenty  of  money ;  now,  there  is  my 
temple  at  your  service.  Let  us  fill  it  with  the  hungry  poor; 
you  will  feed  them,  and  such  of  them  as  know  letters  may  read 
your  books;  those  who  cannot  read  can  at  least  repeat  our 
Buddhist  prayers."  The  good  man  was  verv  sincere,  both  in 
his  charity  anel  his  religion,  Imt  in  this  case  he  would  have  had 
the  best  of  the  bargain,  as  nine  out  of  ten  would  have  s})ent 
their  time  in  reciting  the  name  and  titles  of  Huddha. 

Besides  people  who  suffered  from  temporary  distress,  there 

77 


78  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

were  a  great  many  professional  beggars,  who  during  the  day 
phed  their  calHng  as  blind,  halt,  or  dumb,  and  in  the  evening 
met  together  to  spend  their  gleanings,  suddenly  recovering  from 
their  infirmities,  as  in  Victor  Hugo's  "  Cour  des  Miracles." 
Mr.  Russell,  of  the  Enghsh  Church  Mission,  walking  on  the 
wall  one  evening,  noticed  a  comfortable-looking  party  seated 
at  table.  Saluting  them  in  passing,  they  politely  invited  him 
to  take  a  cup  of  tea.  To  their  surprise  he  accepted  the  offer, 
and,  by  way  of  opening  a  useful  conversation,  inquired,  "  What 
is  your  noble  profession?  "  "We  are  beggars,"  they  replied, 
to  his  surprise. 

Mr.  Cobbold,  of  the  same  mission,  was  one  day  accosted  by 
a  poor  man  who  asked  alms,  holding  up  a  bloody  hand,  which 
he  said  had  been  badly  cut  by  river-pirates,  to  show  that  he 
was  unfit  for  work.  The  missionary  bade  him  follow  to  a 
hospital,  which  he  did  in  hopes  of  gaining  another  penny. 
When  turning  away  from  the  door  he  was  gently  drawn  inside, 
and  the  doctor  proceeded  to  dress  the  wound.  The  man 
winced  terribly  while  the  bloody  bandages  were  being  removed, 
and  most  of  all  when  the  last  rag  came  away,  revealing  an  arm 
and  hand  clean  and  sound.  Cobbold's  quick  temper  was 
roused,  and  the  beggar  carried  away  a  wound,  though  he  had 
brought  none.  Such  fellows  overtax  the  patience  of  a  saint. 
It  is  recorded  of  Confucius,  who  was  meek  as  Moses,  that  he 
once  whacked  one  of  them  across  the  shins  with  his  walking- 
stick. 

Among  my  pensioners  was  a  white-haired  man,  of  near  four- 
score. Falling  ill,  he  was  unable  to  come  for  his  dole,  and  a 
younger  man,  his  cousin,  was  permitted  to  carry  him  the  daily 
allowance.  At  length,  suspecting  that  something  was  wrong, 
I  declined  to  send  the  dole.  The  young  man  declared  that 
his  relative  was  alive,  and  j)romised  to  bring  him  on  liis  i^ack, 
in  proof  of  the  fact.  The  next  day  he  appeared  at  the  usual 
hour,  bearing  on  his  shoulders  a  white-haired  man,  who  re- 


SC£.V£S  AXD   LVC/DEXTS  79 

sembled  my  pensioner  as  much  as  sickness  resembles  health. 
At  first  I  accepted  the  claimant  as  genuine,  but  as  soon  as  he 
opened  his  mouth  the  deception  was  apparent.  Not  a  trace 
remained  of  the  fine  teeth  of  my  octogenarian  mendicant.  I 
followed  the  exami)le  of  Confucius ;  and  the  young  man,  per- 
sisting in  carrying  out  the  fraud,  exclaimed,  as  he  bowed  his 
shoulders  to  the  burden :  "  O  my  brother,  what  pains  do  I  en- 
dure on  your  account!" 

One  of  those  poor  old  men,  whom  I  encouraged  to  relate 
some  of  the  experiences  of  his  life,  concluded  his  story  of  mis- 
fortune and  disappointment  thus:  "I  dream  that  I  am  dining 
with  the  governor,  and  wake  to  find  that  I  am  hungry.  I  dream 
that  I  am  gathering  pearls  by  the  handful ;  but  when  I  wake, 
my  hands  are  as  empty  as  my  beggar's  bowl."  How  many 
visions  of  wealtli  and  grandeur  are  equally  unsubstantial! 

Begging  is  one  of  the  pests  of  China.  Buddhism  encour- 
ages it,  every  priest  being  supposed  to  pass  through  a  stage 
of  mendicancy.  In  every  city  the  beggars  form  a  kind  of 
guild,  under  the  leadership  of  one  who  is  called  their  king. 
By  paying  a  fixed  tribute  to  this  potentate,  an  exemption  from 
their  importunities  may  be  piu'chased.  ]My  wife  several  times 
attempted  to  reclaim  young  beggars,  and  to  introduce  them  to 
some  reputable  industry.  Several  ran  away,  preferring  their 
Bohemian  existence,  but  two  of  them  became  honest  crafts- 
men. A  pretty  child  one  day  asked  alms,  and  I  replied  by 
bidding  him  follow  me  to  my  door.  He  trotted  after  me  in 
expectation  of  some  copper  coins,  though  better  things  were 
in  prospect  if  he  had  only  known  it ;  for  I  was  thinking  of  put- 
ting him  to  school  or  teaching  him  a  trade.  But,  on  looking 
round,  the  urchin  was  gone.  Are  not  faith  and  patience  essen- 
tial to  salvation? 

Custom  allows  a,  mendicant  to  annoy  peoi)le  until  they  give 
at  least  a  copper  cas/i,  ecpial  to  a  tenth  of  a  cent.  You  may 
at  times  see  the  importunate  lay  siege  to  a  shop,  ring  a  bell. 


So  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

blow  a  horn,  or  expose  unsightly  sores,  to  compel  compliance 
with  their  demands.  Some  missionaries  refuse  to  give  anything 
in  the  street,  disapproving  of  that  mode  of  charity.  I  always 
gave,  though  not  from  the  highest  motives :  first,  to  get  rid  of 
importunity  ;  second,  not  to  harden  my  heart  by  refusal ;  third, 
to  be  seen  of  men— violating  the  letter  of  his  precept  that  I 
might  not  injure  the  cause  of  Christ  by  seeming  to  be  uncharita- 
ble. Once  a  well-dressed  young  man,  standing  with  a  squad  of 
fellows  on  a  street-corner,  thought  to  amuse  them  by  address- 
ing me  in  tones  of  noisy  familiarity.  ^\'ithout  turning  my 
head,  I  tossed  him  a  c()j)per  ('(Ci-//,  and  they  roared  with  laughter. 

One  night  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a  religious  cere- 
mony that  was  going  on  in  the  yard  of  one  of  our  poor  neigh- 
bors. Tables  were  sjiread,  candles  lighted,  and  with  the  smoke 
of  incense  arose  the  wail  of  a  wild,  weird  chant.  Leaning  over 
the  balustrade  of  our  upper  veranda,  my  ear  caught  the  words  : 
"Oh,  all  ye  dead  that  have  perished  by  violence  —  whether 
slain  by  the  sword,  drowned  l)y  floods,  hanged  by  cords,  or 
crushed  by  falling  walls  —  and  you,  O  I>i,  Me,  Wang,  Liang 
["mischievous  sprites"],  come  to  the  feast  we  have  spread  for 
your  entertainment!"  A  conflagration  had  taken  place  the 
previous  night,  and  this  man,  while  doing  a  little  salvage  on 
his  own  account,  was  hurt  or  frightened  by  the  falling  of  burn- 
ing timbers.  As  he  lay  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  his  soul 
was  supposed  to  have  been  carried  awav  l)y  some  of  the  sprites 
above  referred  to.  All  such  are  believed  to  be  malevolent. 
'Hie  feast  was  sjiread  to  i)r()pitiate  them  and  to  secure  the  re- 
lease of  their  \ictim. 

When  a  jjcrson  dies  abroad,  the  soul  is  called  home  to  the 
family  fX'meterv  by  ceremonies  similar  to  these.  Chii  Yuen, 
a  gifted  poet,  ])eiiig  sent  into  exile,  eonipares  his  situation  to 
that  of  sucli  a  soul,  and  writi'S  an  ode  to  solicit  the  return  of 
the  \\andrrci-.  'Die  C/ido  //mVV/  is  one  of  the  most  touching 
elegies  in  the  Chinese  language.     Some,  however,  take  it  liter- 


SCEXES  AA7)   LWIDEXrs  8i 

ally,  and  ascribe  the  composition  to  liis  friend  Sung  Yu,  who 
wrote  it,  they  say,  after  the  suicide  of  the  poet.  That  sad  event, 
which  occurred  about  300  p..c.,  is  commemorated  by  one  of 
the  most  pictures(iue  observances  of  the  present  day.  At  the 
festival  preceding  the  summer  solstice  a  leading  amusement  is 
a  regatta  of  dragon-boats,  so  called  from  their  shape  and  or- 
naments. Nominally,  they  go  out  to  search  for  the  body  of 
the  dead  poet ;  in  reality,  to  race  and  make  merry. 

Clui  Yuen's  poems  are  a  long  jeremiad  on  the  degeneracy 
of  his  times.  They  reflect  a  peevish,  melancholy  temper,  and 
on  reading  them  one  is  not  surprised  that  he  put  an  end  to 
himself.  The  wonder  is  that  he  is  honored  by  such  a  brilliant 
commemoration.  Prince  and  councilor,  his  relative,  the  King 
of  Chu,  spurned  his  advice,  whereon,  Ahithophel-like,  he  went 
and  drowned  himself.  His  virtues,  talents,  and  hapless  fate 
are  scarcely  sufficient  to  account  for  the  extraordinary  honors 
paid  to  his  memory. 

An  observance  very  similar  in  origin  occurs  in  the  spring — 
a  three  days'  curfew  ;  during  which  no  fire  is  lighted  and  noth- 
ing but  cold  food  eaten.  Kietue,  in  whose  memory  it  was  in- 
stituted, lived  in  the  ninth  century  u.c.  He  followed  an  exiled 
prince  for  twenty  years,  and  when  his  master  came  to  the 
throne,  wounded  by  neglect,  he  hid  himself  in  a  forest.  The 
prince  set  fire  to  the  forest,  and  he  perished  in  the  flames.  The 
eating  of  cold  food  is  an  impressive  mode  of  recalling  his  sad 
fate,  resembling  somewhat  our  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  ; 
with  this  difference,  that  it  has  nothing  sacramental  in  it,  and 
that  its  hero  never  did  anything  deserving  of  commemoration. 
The  painted  eggs  profusely  displayed  on  that  occasion  remind 
us  of  our  Easter  usages.  They  are  a  convenient  form  of  cold 
food. 

In  a  street  near  the  church  I  one  day  remarked  an  old 
woman  railing  angrily  at  a  young  man  who  was  kneeling  on 
the  ground  and  bowincf  his  head  toward  her  while  he  muttered 


82  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

something,  to  me  inaudible.  Standing  still  to  study  the  scene, 
as  did  many  of  the  passers-by,  I  was  moved  with  pity  for  the 
lad,  who  appeared  to  be  so  harshly  treated,  and  yet  was  so  re- 
spectful and  penitent.  "Just  look  at  that  boy,"  exclaimed  the 
old  woman,  turning  to  me ;  "  he  is  my  adopted  son.  I  took 
him  when  an  infant  and  cared  for  all  his  wants  with  these  old 
hands.  Because  I  refuse  to  give  him  money  to  squander,  the 
ungrateful  wretch  is  now  trying  to  pray  me  to  death."  I  then 
for  the  first  time  noticed  a  stick  of  incense  burning  on  the 
ground,  and  understood  that  the  apparent  act  of  reverence  was 
not  to  invoke  blessings,  but  a  curse.  In  a  little  temple  on  the 
river-bank  I  once  noticed  a  woman  who  was  praying  with 
great  fervor  and  energy.  Like  Hannah  of  old,  she  was  a 
"  \voman  of  a  sorrowful  spirit";  unlike  Hannah,  however,  she 
was  not  asking  for  a  blessing,  but  imprecating  a  curse  upon 
some  one  who  had  done  her  wrong — whether  a  rival  in  the 
affections  of  her  husband,  or  an  exacting  creditor,  I  was  unable 
to  make  out. 

The  Chinese  are  prone  to  curse,  but,  in  lieu  of  the  curse 
direct,  they  revile  one's  ancestors,  in  this  agreeing  with  the. 
negroes  of  West  Africa.  A  traveler  on  the  Guinea  coast  re- 
lates that,  struck  with  a  soft  strain  chanted  by  his  boatman, 
he  asked  his  servant  what  he  was  saying.  "  He  cussin',  sah," 
replied  the  boy;  "he  cuss  toder  man's  fader  and  moder."  It 
is  only  from  the  gospel  that  men  learn  to  "bless,  and  curse 
not." 

In  another  temple,  not  a  small  one,  also  on  the  river-bank, 
I  once  saw  two  or  three  thousand  women  reciting  prayers  to 
Buddha,  on  the  occasion  of  a  festival.  "  Why  are  all  the  wor- 
shipers women,  and  what  are  they  praying  for  ?  "  I  iiKjuired. 
"They  are  praving  that  tliev  mav  be  born  into  tlic  wni'ld  as 
men,"  was  the  answer  —  so  unliapp}'.  as  well  as  inferior,  arc 
they  taught  to  consider  their  present  condition.  Morally, 
however,  they  are  China's  better  half — modest,  graceful,  and 


LCEXES  AM)   /XCJDEX'J'S  83 

attractive.  Intellectually,  they  are  not  stupid,  hut  ignorant, 
left  to  grow  up  in  a  kind  of  twilight,  without  the  benefit  of 
schools.  ^Vhat  they  are  ca{)able  of  may  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that,  in  spite  of  disadvantages,  many  of  them  are  found 
on  the  roll  of  honor  as  poets,  historians,  and  rulers.  Some  of 
the  brightest  minds  I  ever  met  in  China  were  those  of  girls  in 
our  mission  schools.  Woman  ignorant  has  made  China  Bud- 
dhist;  will  not  woman  educated  make  her  Christian?  The 
national  literature  needs  women  to  purify  it ;  for  while  the 
sacred  books  are  pure,  novels  and  jest-books  are  unspeakably 
filthy,  which  would  not  be  the  case  if  they  were  expected  to 
pass  nnder  the  eyes  of  women.  An  exception  which  j)roves 
the  statement  is  the  Ki/iki/,  a  collection  of  stories  intended  to 
be  read  aloud  to  women  in  the  palace,  and  these  are  irreproach- 
able in  point  of  morals. 

Not  far  from  our  church  was  the  yamen  or  public  office  of 
the  city  prefect.  During  a  season  of  intense  drought  I  once 
saw  a  long  procession  of  country  people  enter  his  courtyard, 
bearing  in  their  hands  branches  of  green  willows,  and  escort- 
ing a  kind  of  palanquin  or  litter  woven  of  willows.  "What  is 
the  object  of  this  procession?  "  I  in(|uired  of  one  of  the  rustics. 
"  We  are  praying  for  rain,"  he  replied.  "  We  have  caught  the 
dragon-king,  and  are  bringing  him  to  receive  the  worship  of 
the  magistrates.  There  he  is  in  the  palanquin ;  you  can  see 
him  for  yourself  I  " 

There  he  was,  sure  enough,  in  an  earthen  vessel,  swimming 
in  his  own  element.  He  was  for  the  nonce  a  water-lizard, 
about  four  inches  in  length.  The  people  had  besouglit  the 
god  to  manifest  himself,  and,  going  to  the  sacred  pool,  the  first 
living  form  that  met  their  eyes  was  this  miserable  amphibian. 
While  I  was  standing  there  a  car])et  was  spread  on  the  ground, 
and  the  prefect,  in  full  robes,  knelt  down  and  worshijied  the 
avatar  of  the  dragon-king.  The  ceremony  was  re[)eatcd  at  all 
the  yamens,  and  the  people,  as  they  restored  the  animal  to  the 


84 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


pool,  felt  that  if  they  did  not  get  rain  it  would  not  be  for  want 
of  respect  for  the  dragon-king. 

A  few  years  ago,  during  an  overflow  of  the  Peiho,  a  small 
snake  was  captured  in  the  river,  and  brought  to  the  viceroy, 
Li  Hung  Chang,  who  accepted  it  as  the  incarnation  of  the 
dragon,  and,  performing  the  koto  before  it,  besought  it  to  cause 
the  waters  to  subside.  Sudden  and  disastrous  floods  are  sup- 
posed to  be  caused  by  a  sort  of  dragon  called  kiao  ("flood- 
fiend").  In  the  "  Calendar  of  Hia,"  one  of  the  oldest  books, 
it  is  made  the  duty  of  a  magistrate,  at  certain  seasons,  to  lead 
the  people  out  to  hunt  and  destroy  the  flood-fiend.  The 
mayor  of  Ningpo  conformed  to  this  ancient  usage  at  least  once 

while  I  was  there,  and  the  rustic 
folk,  I  was  told,  finding  a  black 
dog  (a  black  poodle,  no  doubt) 
under  a  stone,  took  him  for  the 
mask  of  the  flood-fiend,  and  as 
such  put  him  to  death. 

A  cloud-burst  on  one  occasion 
caused  great  damage  to  life  and 
property  at  Canton  ;  the  natives 
blamed  foreigners  for  having  pro- 
voked the  calamity  by  firing  on  a 
dragon  as  he  flew  over  their  set- 
tlement. Here  is  a  facsimile  of 
a  woodcut  representing  the  dra- 
gon as  he  appeared  incomplete  in 
the  clouds  when  the  foreigners  im- 
piously discharged  their  cannon  at  him.  The  letterpress  con- 
tains nothing  additional  except  details  of  the  calamity,  for 
whicli,  it  insimiates,  the  foreigner  is  to  be  held  resjjonsible. 

In  the  "book  of  Changes,"  the  oldest  of  the  classics,  the 
dragon  is  said  to  represent  an  emperor.  Hence  the  use  of  a 
dragon  as  an  imperial  emblem  on  the  national  flag,  the  throne, 


Till-;    \VATM1I.IN( 
UKAGOX,    FINF.I) 


)K    I;OI'.-rAII,KO 
N    r.Y    I.MI'IOIS 
FOKKUiNliKS. 


SCA\V£S  AA'D  INCIDENTS  85 

and  the  vestments  of  majesty.  The  dragon  myth  sprang  orig- 
inally from  an  imaginary  combination  of  crocodile  and  boa- 
constrictor.  Is  it  not  curious  that  the  form  which  the  Chinese 
give  to  one  of  their  most  beneficent  deities  should  be  the  sym- 
bol of  Satan?*  (See  Rev.  xx.  i,  2.)  How  lamentable  that 
this  silly  superstition  should  keep  them  from  acknowledging 
the  blessed  and  only  Potentate,  who  has  not  left  himself 
without  witness,  in  that  he  gives  rain  from  heaven  and  fruitful 
seasons  ! 

At  Ningpo  I  began  to  study  the  elTects  of  opium-smoking, 
nor  was  it  possible  to  dismiss  the  subject  as  long  as  I  remained 
in  China.  The  conclusion  to  which  I  was  brought  is,  that  to 
the  Chinese  the  practice  is  an  unmitigated  curse.  Whether  it 
is  worse  than  the  abuse  of  alcohol  among  us  I  shall  not  under- 
take to  decide.  The  contrast  between  the  effects  of  the  two 
drugs  is  remarkable.  Liquor  makes  a  man  noisy  and  furious; 
oi)ium  makes  him  quiet  and  rational.  The  drinker  commits 
crime  when  he  has  too  much  ;  the  opium-smoker  when  he  has 
too  little.  Drinking  is  a  social  vice,  and  drunkenness  a  public 
nuisance ;  opium-smoking  is  mostly  a  private  vice,  indulged  at 
home  ;  but  even  in  opium-shops  it  is  more  offensive  to  the  nose 
than  to  the  eye  or  ear.  Alcohol  imprints  on  the  face  a  fiery 
glow;  oj)ium,  an  ashy  paleness.  Alcoholic  drinks  bloat  and 
fatten ;  opium  emaciates.  A  drunkard  may  work  well  if  kept 
from  his  cups  ;  an  opium-smoker  is  good  for  nothing  luitil  he 
has  had  his  pii>e.  A  drunkard  can  in  most  cases  cure  himself 
by  force  of  will ;  the  opium  habit  is  a  disease,  which  to  break 
from  requires,  in  all  cases,  the  help  of  medicine.  It  takes 
years  for  alcohol  to  reduce  a  man  to  sla\-ery :  ojiium  rivets  its 
fetters  in  a  few  weeks  or  months.  It  does  not  take  tlie  place 
of  tobacco,  which,  used  by  all  classes  as  a  more  or  less  inno- 

*  Xot  stranger  than  the  change  of  meaning  whicli  Cliristianity  gives  to 
the  Greek  dunion,  or  tlie  different  significations  of  ddva  in  India  and 
Persia. 


86  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

cent  indulgence,  is  indispensable  to  the  opium-smoker ;  nor  does 
it  take  the  place  of  alcoholic  drinks,  which  are  consumed  as 
much  as  ever.  Even  its  moderate  use  unfits  a  man  for  most 
pursuits.  A  thousand  opium-smokers  were  at  one  time  dis- 
missed from  the  army  as  disqualified  for  service.  In  the  long 
run,  the  insidious  drug  saps  the  strength,  stupefies  the  mind, 
and  of  course  shortens  the  span  of  life.  Its  expense,  though 
great  in  the  aggregate,  is  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  loss 
of  time  and  energy  sure  to  follow  in  its  wake. 

Most  of  these  general  statements,  it  is  proper  to  say,  have 
exceptions.  I  have  seen  men  sink  into  their  graves  in  a  few 
months  from  the  use  of  the  drug ;  I  have  known  others  to  use 
it  for  thirty  years,  but  not  with  impunity.  An  example  of  the 
latter  sort  was  a  man  who  entered  my  service  at  the  age  of 
fifty.  He  was  active  and  faithful,  but  died,  in  spite  of  medi- 
cal care,  because  his  stomach  was  so  tanned  that  it  could  no 
longer  digest  food  or  medicine.  Chenglin,  \ice-governor  of 
Peking,  told  me  that  he  had  taken  to  it  as  an  anodyne  for  grief 
at  the  loss  of  a  child.  Not  long  after  that  he  succumbed  to 
a  flux  which  might  have  been  cured  by  opium  had  he  not  been 
a  smoker. 

Many  a  bright  student  have  I  seen  ruined  by  opivmi-smok- 
ing.  In  the  earlier  stages  of  the  habit  it  is  usually  imj)ossible 
to  detect,  but  at  length  it  reveals  itself.  One  who  was  sent  to 
France  as  interpreter  to  the  Chinese  envoy  smoked  himself  to 
death  as  a  relief  from  family  troubles,  ^^'hen  near  his  end  he 
said  his  opium-pipe  was  his  only  consolation  —  Mo/i  phusir 
nnii/i/r,  he  called  it.  Another,  emaciated  and  sallow  when 
he  went  to  Russia,  came  back  after  some  years  fat  and  flour- 
ishing. He  explained  to  me  that  the  change  was  due  to  the 
giving  up  of  opium,  which,  said  he,  "  I  was  obliged  to  forego, 
because  it  was  not  to  I)e  had."  At  first  the  pipe  is  sought  as 
a  source  of  enjoyment,  or  an  incentive  to  the  passions;  in  later 
stages  it  is  taken  as  a  relief  from  pain. 


SC/:.\'KS  AXD   IXCIDEXTS 


87 


■ir.M-SMllKEK  S    PROGKESS — FAST,    TRKSEN'T, 
FLTUKE. 


A  score  of  medical  testimonies  that  I  took  pains  to  collect 
agree  as  to  the  deleterious  tendencies  of  the  habit.  A  parlia- 
mentary commission  recently  reported  rather  favorably  on  the 
use  of  the  drug  in  India. 
If  they  hatl  been  dealing 
specially,  not  incident- 
ally, with  the  Chinese 
their  report  might  ha\-e 
been  different.  The  sen- 
timent of  China  in  regard 
to  it  is  fairly  expressed  in 
a  native  tract  with  three 
pictures, representing  the 
past,  [)resent,  and  future 

of  the  opium-smoker.  Its  brief  legend  is  this:  "The  evils  of 
opium  are  extreme.  Tobacco,  if  you  smoke  a  dry  pipe,  re- 
tiuircs  the  service  of  one  hand  ;  if  the  water-pipe,  of  both 
hands.  Opium  enslaves  the  whole  body.  It  wastes  time, 
ruins  business,  and  destroys  the  smoker  and  his  family.  Yet 
he  is  so  bewitched  that  he  does  not  wake  up." 

Missionaries,  who  see  its  rawiges  among  the  people,  all  de- 
nounce it.  Chinese  officers  have  of  late  made  spasmodic  at- 
tempts to  save  portions  of  their  people  from  the  rising  flood. 
General  Tso  forbade  the  cultivation  of  the  poppy  in  the  North- 
west and  destroyed  the  crops.  Governor  Shen  did  the  same 
in  Shansi.  These  and  many  similar  efforts  were  intended  to 
prevent  the  poisonous  drug  from  becoming  a  native  product, 
within  the  reach  of  all.  They  had  no  reference  to  those  al)le 
to  buy  a  foreign  luxury.  Had  the  mandarins  acted  in  con- 
cert, they  might  have  suppressed  the  vice  even  after  the  legal- 
ization of  the  import ;  but  thev  never  pull  together  for  any 
public  purpose  whatever.  It  is  now  too  late.  The  native 
drug  amounts  to  five  or  ten  times  the  foreign,  and  the  foreign 
trade  is  falling  off.    It  is  signiticant  that  Japan  strictly  prohib- 


88  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

its  the  use  of  opium,  having  before  her  eyes  such  an  object- 
lesson  as  China.  Count  Ito  told  Li  Hung  Chang  that  they 
intended  to  root  it  out  of  Formosa.  It  is  the  darkest  cloud 
that  hangs  over  the  future  of  China.  "  The  desire  for  sleep 
on  China's  part,"  says  the  North  China  "  Herald  "  in  a  leader 
on  progress,  May  31,  1895,  "is  a  morbid  feehng,  induced  by 
an  injurious  consumption  of  narcotics." 

Did  not  Tennyson  have  China  in  mind  when  he  wrote  of 

"  A  land  where  all  things  always  seemed  the  same; 
And  round  about  the  keel,  with  faces  pale,   .  .  . 
The  mild-eyed,  melancholy  Lotos-eaters  came  "? 

How  can  a  land  be  changed  for  the  better  if  any  large  pro- 
portion of  its  rulers  are  crying  in  their  hearts : 

"  I>et  us  alone.     Wliat  pleasure  can  we  have 
To  war  with  evil?     Is  there  any  peace 
In  ever  climbing  uj)  the  climbing  wave?  " 

What  proportion  of  the  people  are  infected  it  is  impossible, 
to  say,  as  it  varies  from  district  to  district — some  kind  of  local 
option  keeping  the  poison  out  of  certain  places,  Avhile  in  others, 
especially  where  the  drug  is  grown,  its  pallid  mark  is  seen  on 
every  face,  not  even  women  being  exempt.  A  few  native  re- 
ligious societies  are  operating  against  the  evil,  but  the  flood 
continues  to  rise.  The  best  hope  for  checking  it  —  tliough,  we 
fear,  a  forlorn  hope — is  in  the  growing  influence  of  the  churcli 
of  Christ.  AVith  the  spread  of  Christiaiu'ty  a  healthier  moral 
sentnnent  will  be  awakened,  whicli  will  become  effective  far 
beyond  the  pale  f)f  the  cluirches. 

Jf  any  one  desires  to  know  whether  Cliiiu'se  officials  look 
on  opiiun  as  a  harmless  di'ug,  for  the  introduction  of  wlu'ch 
they  ought  to  be  grateful  to  iMigland,  let  him  read  the  follow- 
ing extracts  from  a  letter  of  Prince  Kung  and  his  colleagues. 


SCEXES  AXD  IXCIDKiXTS  89 

It  was  addressed  to  the  Britisli  minister  in  July,  1869,  ten 
years  after  the  admission  of  o[)ium  as  a  dutiable  commodity. 
Their  object  was  to  induce  the  British  government  to  stop  the 
import,  while  they,  on  their  part,  proposed  to  suppress  the 
native  production.  The  source  of  supply  being  dried  up,  the 
vice  would  die  for  want  of  nutriment.  This  would  have  cost 
them  in  duties  on  the  foreign  drug  alone  an  annual  sacrifice 
of  ^1,700, 000  —  so  much  in  earnest  were  they  to  rid  their 
country  of  a  growing  evil. 

"That  opium  is  like  a  deadly  poison,"  says  this  official 
document,  "that  it  is  most  injurious  to  mankind  and  a  most 
serious  provocative  of  ill-feeling  [between  the  two  countries], 
is,  the  writers  think,  perfectly  well  known  to  your  Excellency. 
The  officials  and  people  of  this  empire  all  say  that  England 
trades  in  opium  because  she  desires  to  work  China's  ruin. 
For,  say  they,  if  the  friendly  feelings  of  England  were  genuine, 
since  it  is  open  to  her  to  produce  and  trade  in  everything  else, 
would  she  still  insist  on  spreading  the  poison  of  this  hurtful 
thing  through  this  empire?. 

"There  are  those  who  sav,  stop  the  trade  by  a  vigorous 
prohibition  against  the  use  of  the  drug.  Xow,  although  the 
criminals'  punishment  would  be  of  tlicir  own  seeking,  bystand- 
ers would  not  fail  to  say  that  it  was  the  foreign  merchant  who 
seduced  them  to  their  ruin  ;  such  a  course  would  tend  to  arouse 
popular  anger  against  the  foreigner.  Others,  again,  suggest  the 
removal  of  the  prohibitions  against  the  growth  of  tlie  pojjpy, 
as  a  temporary  measure.  We  should  thus  not  only  depr!\-e 
the  foreign  merchant  of  a  main  source  of  his  profits.  I)ut  we 
should  increase  our  revenue  to  boot.  We  cannot  say  that,  as 
a  last  resource,  it  mav  not  come  to  this.  But  we  arc  most  un- 
willing that  such  prohibitions  be  removed,  holding  that  a  riglit 
system  of  government  should  appreciate  tlie  beneficence  of 
Heaven  and  seek  to  remo\-e  any  grievance  tliat  atllicts  its 
people.     To  allow  them  to  go  to  destruction,  although  an  in- 


90 


J    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


crease  of  revenue  may  result,  will  provoke  the  judgment   of 
Heaven  and  the  condemnation  of  men." 

Having  failed  to  obtain  the  cooperation  of  England,  they 
were  forced  to  license  the  home  product.  It  is  feared,  how- 
ever, that  the  measure  is  not  "  temporary." 


^m^'Pii^^t^'ZJ-^.-^-^j/J' 


A     SUDKNI     IN     111^    I.lliKAKV    .S.MwKl.NCi    Ol'IL.M. 


CHAPTER   VI 

SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS    [Cofltifllicd) 

A  model  riot — Portuguese  violence  and  Chinese  revenge — Bull-figlits  — 
Passion  for  gamliling — Mixed  marriages — The  palace  of  ceremony — 
Honors  to  a  laureate — An  earthquake,  and  its  effects  — Taoist  and 
Taoism 

I  ONCE  saw  a  procession  of  country  people  visit  the  yamens 
of  the  city  mandarins,  with  an  object  very  different  from 
that  described  in  the  last  chapter.  Shops  were  shut  and  per- 
fect stillness  reigned,  as,  twenty  thousand  strong,  they  wended 
their  way  through  the  streets,  with  banners  flying,  each  at  the 
head  of  a  company  and  each  inscribed  with  the  name  of  a 
temple  where  that  company  held  its  meetings.  "  What  is  the 
meaning  of  this  demonstration?  "  I  ituiuired.  "We  are  going 
to  reduce  the  taxes,"  was  the  laconic  answer.  Petitions  had 
been  tried  in  vain,  and  now,  driven  to  desperation,  they  were 
staking  everything  on  a  last  appeal,  with  its  alternative — re- 
venge. The  mandarins  did  not  stay  to  hear  them  ;  and,  throw- 
ing into  heaps  the  furniture  of  their  oppressors — silken  cushions, 
gauze  curtains,  carved  chairs,  and  other  objects  of  costly  lux- 
ury—  the  rioters  applied  the  torch  and  consumed  the  whole  as 
inexorably  as  the  spoil  of  Jericho.  A  man  whom  I  saw  mak- 
ing off  with  something  valuable  was  brought  back,  and  his 
booty  thrown  into  the  fire;  but  he,  I  believe,  escaped  the  fate 
of  Achan. 

Similar  scenes  were  enacted  at  every  yamen  in  the  city, 

91 


92  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT/I  AY 

and,  strange  to  say,  the  peaceful  inhabitants  were  not  molested, 
save  that  business  was  interrupted  for  a  day.  The  conflict 
was  with  the  mandarins  only ;  the  rioters  were  under  strict 
discipline,  and  still  professed  loyalty  to  the  supreme  govern- 
ment. Entering  the  yamen  of  the  c/w/iicii,  or  mayor,  to 
watch  the  proceedings,  I  noticed  a  company  of  rioters  guard- 
ing a  portion  of  the  building  while  their  comrades  were  evis- 
cerating the  rest.  Inquiring  why  they  were  mounting  guard 
instead  of  joining  in  the  loot,  they  answered  simply,  "  This  is 
the  treasury,  and  no  man  shall  touch  the  emperor's  money." 
Their  grievance  was  not  taxation,  but  excessive  charges  made 
by  local  officers  to  cover  the  expense  of  collection.  A  month 
later  the  provincial  governor  sent  against  the  rioters  a  force 
of  fifteen  hundred  men.  Caught  in  an  ambuscade,  these  troops 
were  beaten  with  a  loss  of  fifty  killed  and  twice  as  many 
wounded.  I  went  with  Dr.  McCartee  to  visit  the  latter,  and 
it  was  sad  to  see  how  they  had  been  mauled  and  slashed  by  a 
lot  of  unarmed  clodhoppers. 

Force  having  failed  to  reduce  the  rioters  to  submission,  the 
governor  tried  persuasion.  He  dismissed  the  obnoxious  man- 
darins, and  promised  to  put  an  end  to  their  exactions  if  the 
ringleaders  were  delivered  up.  These  men,  Cheo  and  Chang, 
with  a  fine  spirit  of  patriotism,  surrendered  themselves  to  gain 
their  object  and  stop  the  plague  of  war.  They  were,  however, 
put  to  death,  as  they  knew  they  would  be ;  but  their  grateful 
followers,  no  longer  crushed  by  illegal  imposts,  erected  a  tem- 
ple to  their  memory  and  now  worship  them  as  gods.  I  know 
of  nothing  that  exhibits  the  national  character  to  better  advan- 
tage than  this  incident. 

On  another  occasion,  the  people  of  an  outlying  district  re- 
volted against  tlie  exactions  of  a  salt-farmer,  marched  into  the 
city,  and  burned  his  house,  without  doing  harm  to  any  one 
else.  Sucli  are  the  methods  these  law-abiding  people  are  at 
times  forced  to  take  to  right  their  wrongs  under  a  paternal 


SCEXES  AND  INCIDEXTS  yj 

government.  I  afterward  witnessed  a  more  sanguinary  drama 
—  unrelieved  I)y  anything  noble  —  in  a  feud  between  the  Portu- 
guese and  Cantonese.  The  latter  were  reformed  pirates  who 
had  been  reduced  to  subnn'ssion  by  promises  of  official  employ- 
ment and  liberal  pay.  They  were  under  the  leadership  of  two 
brothers,  who  were  given  rank  in  the  imperial  navy.  Distrust- 
ing their  honesty,  the  Xingj)o  fishermen  engaged  Portuguese 
lorchas  to  convoy  their  fleet  and  protect  their  iishing-grounds, 
paying  no  less  than  iifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  season.  The 
Cantonese  endeavoring  to  wrest  this  lucrative  business  from 
the  hands  of  their  rivals — the  old  story  of  wolves  offering  to 
protect  the  flock  —  a  series  of  sanguinary  collisions  took  place, 
wlu'ch  led  to  the  despatch  from  Macao  of  a  Portuguese  corvette, 
with  orders  to  destroy  the  CantcMi  sciuadron. 

The  junks  sought  refuge  in  the  river,  mooring  near  the  Salt 
Gate  ;  but  their  assailants,  who  had  no  respect  for  any  sanctu- 
ary, took  up  a  position  within  easy  range  and  proceeded  to 
sink  them  one  after  another — presenting  in  a  time  of  peace  a 
spectacle  such  as  the  West  has  not  witnessed  since  the  Vikings 
ceased  to  ravage  the  coasts  of  Europe.  Such  was  the  reckless 
violence  of  a  people  who  carried  on  trade  without  the  sanction 
of  a  treaty,  and  such  the  helpless  imbecility  of  the  Chinese 
authorities. 

Our  first  intimation  of  the  fray  was  the  boom  of  cannon, 
followed  by  the  whizzing  of  cannon-balls  over  our  housetop. 
So  near  and  so  numerous  were  these  messengers  of  death  that 
we  supposed  the  Portuguese  had  begun  to  bombard  the  citv, 
and  sought  safety  behind  the  walls  of  the  church.  One  shot 
fell  in  the  taotai's  yamen,  near  by;  another  killed  a  girl  half  a 
mile  beyond  us.  When  the  firing  ceased,  Messrs.  Cobbold  and 
Russell  came  to  tell  me  of  a  rumor  that  the  Cantonese  were 
plotting  to  seize  all  Europeans  and  hold  them  as  hostages,  or 
to  murder  us  in  revenge.  Going  directly  to  the  taotai,  the 
highest  mandarin  in  the  city,  we  were  shown  the  shot,  a  twenty- 


94  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

four-pounder,  that  had  fallen  in  his  courtyard.  We  were  also 
confronted  with  Puliangtai,  ex-pirate,  and  commander  of  the 
sunken  junks.  The  taotai  denied  the  existence  of  the  alleged 
plot ;  but  we  nevertheless  informed  him  and  the  ex-pirate  that 
any  attempt  to  play  that  game  would  be  followed  by  swift 
retribution. 

The  ex-pirates  found  revenge  in  another  way.  Waiting  till 
the  corvette  had  quitted  the  China  seas,  they  mustered  their 
forces  and  prepared  to  attack  the  Portuguese.  These,  in  ex- 
pectation of  an  assault,  had  moored  their  lorchas  at  a  bend  of 
the  river  in  front  of  their  consulate,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
a  house  to  which  we  had  then  removed.  Ecjual  in  numerical 
strength  to  their  assailants,  it  was  supposed  that  they  would 
make  a  good  defense.  But  the  Cantonese,  coming  up  on  the 
flood-tide,  instead  of  opening  fire  as  anticipated,  grappled  with 
the  lorchas,  and  boarded  them  with  drawn  cutlasses.  Driven 
from  their  guns,  which  proved  of  no  use,  the  Portuguese  fled 
ashore.  Many  were  cut  down  or  shot  in  the  back.  Thirty  or 
forty  were  seized,  and,  with  hands  tied,  thrown  into  the  river. 
Two  or  three  fugitives  I  saw  scudding  across  the  plain,  but 
whether  they  eluded  their  pursuers  or  not  it  was  impossible  to 
discover.  The  consulate  was  pillaged,  and  the  flag  of  Portugal 
disappeared  from  the  port.  The  Peking  government,  if  it  had 
heard  of  the  occurrence,  did  not  care  to  interfere ;  and  the 
Portuguese  did  not  dare  to  renew  the  conflict. 

Xor  was  this  the  first  massacre  suffered  by  the  Portuguese  at 
the  port  of  Xingpo.  Menclez  Pinto  gives  us  an  account,  as 
graphic  as  it  is  credible  (notwitlislanding  his  doubtful  reputation 
for  veracitv),  of  a  more  terrible  wrath-storm  that  overwhelmed 
their  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  three  centuries  ago. 
The  twin  pursuits  of  the  Portuguese,  according  to  him,  were  trade 
and  buccaneering.  ]''or  high  game  they  seized  cities,  and  for 
ordinarv  pastime  thev  levied  blackmail,  and  in  both  they  pros- 
j)ered  exceeclingl}-,  until  their  cup  was  full,  and  then  they  were 


sc/-:.vz-:s  a. yd  ixcidexts  95 

wiped  out  in  a  single  day.  Their  unscrupulous  proceedings 
did  much  to  delay  the  opening  of  China  to  legitimate  com- 
merce. As  pictures  of  the  lawless  license  not  uncommon  in 
the  "  fifties,"  these  scenes  are  perhaps  not  undeserving  of  the 
space  here  given  to  them. 

I  close  this  account  with  a  comic  incident  that  took  place 
shortlv  before  the  expulsion  of  the  Portuguese.  One  of  that 
nationalilv,  calling  at  my  house,  said  something  about  "Mr. 
Martins"  and  a  "small  box,"  desiring  me  to  go  with  him.  I 
was  at  the  time  expecting  a  box  from  Shanghai ;  and,  accom- 
j)anying  the  messenger,  I  found,  not  a  box,  Init  a  case  of  small- 
pox, a  man  nametl  Martinez  being  the  patient. 

A  feud  existed  between  the  junkmen  of  Canton  and  Fu- 
kien  —  the  former  levving  blackmail  on  the  latter — and  one 
of  their  battles  took  place  in  full  view  of  our  house ;  the  city 
authorities  standing  aloof  and  leaving  them  to  fight  it  out. 
Even  among  those  hardened  freebooters  one  sometimes  meets 
with  redeeming  ti'aits.  "Witness  the  following  incident,  as  well 
as  my  own  adventure  in  Chapter  ^'III. 

One  day,  when  I  was  crossing  the  river,  my  servant,  under- 
taking to  relieve  the  ferryman  at  the  oar,  awkwardly  tumbled 
into  the  stream.  Unable  to  swim  a  stroke,  he  was  bobbing  up 
and  down  in  the  water,  when  a  Cantonese,  leaping  from  the 
high  poop  of  a  junk,  rescued  the  drowning  man.  The  latter, 
not  content  w'ith  verbal  thanks,  went  aboard  the  next  day  with 
thank-otTerings  of  consideral)le  value.  To  his  surprise,  the 
Canton  man  declined  to  accept  anything  beyond  a  few  fruits, 
satisfied  with  the  consciousness  of  a  good  action.  Ought  not 
that  act,  so  prompt  and  generous,  to  be  taken  as  an  offset  to 
the  heartless  seltishness  with  w"hich  the  Chinese  are  so  often 
charged? 

It  may  not  be  gencrallv  known  that  Inill-fights  are  in  vogue 
in  some  parts  of  China,  d'he  district  of  Kinhoa.  not  far  from 
Xingpo,  is  equally  celebrated  for  fierce   bulls  and  fat  hams. 


96  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

For  want  of  transport,  they  feed  both  cows  and  pigs  on  rice. 
Every  spring  they  hold  a  cattle-show,  at  which  the  chief  at- 
traction is  the  bull-fights,  of  which  more  take  place  than  in 
any  city  of  Spain,  for  the  animals  are  pitted,  not  against  man 
and  horse,  but  against  each  other.  The  vanquished  is  seldom 
killed,  but  usually  retires  with  head  and  shoulders  covered  with 
blood.  When  asked  the  reason  for  the  cruel  sport,  "  Sport!  it 
is  not  sport,  but  business,"  replied  a  grave-looking  man,  who 
was  either  a  philosoj)her  or  a  wag,  or  perhaps  a  mixture  of 
both.  "  We  make  the  beasts  fight,"  continued  he,  "  to  take 
the  spirit  of  combativeness  out  of  the  air,  so  that  men  may 
live  in  harmony." 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  motive  back  of  this  philan- 
thropic aim  was  the  excitement  of  betting,  for  the  Chinese  are 
desperate  gamblers,  forcing  all  kinds  of  pugnacious  beasts  to 
do  their  fighting  for  them,  while  they  do  the  betting.  The 
quail,  for  instance,  is  with  them  a  game  bird,  in  this  peculiar 
sense ;  and  a  cjuail-cock  that  kills  half  a  dozen  antagonists  is 
worth  ten  times  its  weight  in  silver.  The  cricket,  however, 
affords  the  highest  sport ;  gay  young  men  and  decrepit  old 
men  are  alike  fascinated  with  the  fun  of  seeing  them  snap  each 
other's  heads  off.  The  capital  was  once  taken  by  a  horde  of 
Tartars  because  the  general  in  command  was  too  much  engaged 
with  his  crickets  to  prepare  for  its  defense.  Docs  not  Daudet 
tell  us  something  similar  about  a  French  marshal  and  his  game 
of  billiards? 

"  I  don't  eat  meat  any  more,"  once  said  my  donkey-boy,  as 
he  was  trudging  along  by  mv  side  in  another  jiart  of  China. 
"  It  was  hard  to  gi\'e  it  up,  but  now  it  would  be  hard  to  take 
to  it  again."  Asking  the  how  and  the  why,  he  told  me  this 
story  : 

"  I  was  gi\-en  to  play,"  said  he,  "wasted  my  earnings,  and 
stole  things  out  of  the  house  to  stake  on  a  game.  In  grief  and 
despair,  my  father  cursed  mc,  praying  that  I  might  be  struck 


SC£X£S  AND  IXCIDEXTS  97 

dead.  That  was  more  tliaii  I  could  bear.  I  went  away  to  a 
temjile,  got  an  incense-stick,  lighted  it  under  the  open  sky,  and, 
knocking  my  head  on  the  ground,  1  made  a  vow  to  heaven 
and  earth  not  to  touch  a  card  for  a  year,  and  in  the  meantime 
to  abstain  from  meat.  Nearly  two  years  have  passed,  and  I 
now  have  no  appetite  for  either.  I  intend  to  abstain  from 
both  till  the  end  of  my  life."  With  him  filial  piety  meant 
something,  and  his  religion,  vague  as  it  was,  enabled  him  to 
triumph  over  his  besetting  sin. 

Yet  another  illustration  of  the  passion  for  hazard.  One  day, 
when  I  was  new^  to  the  place,  I  happened  to  enter  a  street  near 
the  Floating  Bridge.  It  was  filled  with  an  excited  crowd,  who 
were  madly  vociferating  and  gesticulating.  Thinking  that  I 
had  come  upon  a  riot,  I  turned  aside  to  ask  the  meaning  of 
the  tumult,  when  I  learned  that  I  was  in  the  Stock  Exchange. 
Bids  were  made  vn'a  voce  and  accepted  by  the  grasping  of 
hands,  the  parties  withdrawing  to  complete  their  bargain.  The 
business  going  on  at  that  time  was  the  fictitious  sale  of  Span- 
ish dollars  for  copper  cask;  the  quotations  being,  brought  by 
pigeon  post  from  Suchau,  two  hundred  miles  distant.  How 
vividly  this  scene  was  recalled  to  my  memory  by  the  confused 
roar  heard  at  the  Paris  Bourse ! 

The  town  above  mentioned  as  famous  for  bull-fights  was 
the  principal  scene  of  a  drama,  in  two  acts,  which,  if  brought 
on  the  stage  by  a  skilful  hand,  might  prove  a  "  stunning  "  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Gilbert  is  welcome  to  the  plot,  as  it  has  cost  me 
nothing  in  the  way  of  invention. 

Act   L — A  Chinese  Student  in  England 

The  student  Siaopo  is  the  son  of  a  respectable  man  of  high 
literary  rank  who  has  embraced  Christianity.  Desirous  of  see- 
ing foreign  countries,  he  accompanies  a  missionary  to  England, 
paying  his  expenses  by  serving  the  missionary  in  the  capacity 


98  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

of  Chinese  secretary.  He  also  forms  the  central  attraction  in 
the  missionary's  lectures,  where  he  is  exhibited  to  prove  the  suc- 
cess of  the  mission  in  converting  the  heathen. 

Discontented  with  his  share  of  the  proceeds,  and  his  head 
turned  by  flattery,  he  quarrels  with  his  mentor,  and  gives  lec- 
tures on  his  own  account. 

Sympathizing  friends  gather  around  him  who  are  indignant 
that  a  missionary  intrusted  with  the  education  of  the  son  of  a 
nobleman  should  so  far  forget  his  duty  as  to  exhibit  the  young 
mandarin  as  Columbus  exhibited  the  savages  from  the  New 
World. 

Becoming  one  of  the  lions  of  the  season,  Siaopo  is  in  much 
request  in  the  salons  of  London,  where  a  banker's  daughter 
allows  herself  to  be  captivated  by  the  almond  and  the  olive, 
aided  by  gorgeous  apparel,  and  the  importance  of  a  personage 
who  tears  himself  away  from  her  society  to  keep  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Earl  of  Clarendon. 

Act  II. —  T/ie  Banker'' s  Daughter  iti  China 

A  motherless  girl,  she  has  been  in  the  habit  of  having  her 
own  way ;  and  wlien  her  father  opi)oses  the  marriage,  she 
elopes  and  goes  to  China.  On  arriving  there,  she  is  surprised 
to  find  herself  wife  No.  2.  Nor  is  wife  No.  i  so  overjoyed  at  the 
return  of  her  husband  as  to  overlook  the  presence  of  a  rival. 
She  tries  to  expel  the  intruder;  but  as  her  husband  prefers  the 
lily  to  the  olive,  she  goes  stark  mad  and  dies  of  a  broken  heart. 

The  lily  does  not  long  enjoy  her  triumph.  In  utter  loneli- 
ness, hundreds  of  miles  from  the  .sound  of  a  European  voice, 
slie  begins  to  fade  and  longs  for  death.  Before  the  end  conies 
she  is  aroused  by  the  news  that  a  white  man  has  been  drowned 
by  the  wreck  of  a  boat  on  the  rapid  river  that  Hows  by  lier 
Chinese  home.  Making  her  way  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster, 
she  finds  the  victim  to  be  an  American  general,  who,  after 


SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS 


99 


leading  the  Chinese  forces  against  tlie  rebels,  went  over  to  the 
hitter.  Being  captured,  he  was  being  carried  to  Peking  in  irons, 
when  a  sunken  rock  cauie  to  the  rescue,  dehvering  him  from 
his  tormentors,  and  two  countries  from  the  dangers  of  an 
international  complication. 

This  duty  done,  the  unfortunate  girl  proceeds  to  Shanghai 
for  medical  advice,  and  finds  a  grave  in  a  Christian  cemetery. 

Other  instances  might  be  brought  in  as  side-plays — such  as 
that  of  the  son  of  an  M.  P.,  who  on  shipboard  married,  with 
all  due  ceremony,  a  Chinese  widow  employed  as  nurse  for  a 
missionary's  children.  In  Shanghai  he  was  ostracised  for  what 
he  had  done ;  though  it  would  have  been  more  rational  to 
admit  him  to  the  gay  circles  of  the  foreign  settlement,  and  to 
ostracise  his  wife. 


!:i 


V. 


.V, 


'1111';    i'AI.ACK    (>!■•    CICKEMO.NV. 


Near  our  church  was  a  shed  which  bore  the  imposing  title 
Jniaih^'kioig,  or  emperor's  palace.  It  contained  a  throne,  sur- 
mounted by  a  gilded  tablet  representing  his  Majesty,  and  in- 


lOO  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

scribed  with  the  prayer,  Hwangti,  wan-sue,  wajt-sue,  wan-wan 
sue'  that  is,  "  The  emperor,  may  he  live  ten  thousand  years, 
ten  thousand  years,  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  years!" 
Here  all  the  officials  (and  the  same  is  true  of  other  cities)  were 
obliged  to  assemble  on  the  accession  of  an  emperor  and  on  his 
birthdays,  to  do  him  homage ;  or,  on  his  demise  or  that  of  any 
member  of  his  family,  to  perform  the  rites  of  mourning.  No- 
ticing one  day  a  throng  of  officials  entering  this  hall  of  cere- 
mony, each  clad  in  a  robe  of  coarse  hemp,  I  entered  with  them 
to  observe  the  performance.  They  had  heard  of  the  death  of 
a  dowager  empress,  but  they  talked  and  laughed  gaily  enough 
until  the  master  of  ceremonies  cried  out.  Quay  pai,  when  they 
sank  on  their  knees,  and  brought  the  forehead  three  times  in 
contact  with  the  earth,  raising,  in  the  intervals,  a  melancholy 
•wail.  This  was  repeated  three  several  times,  and  between  the 
acts  they  talked  and  laughed  as  before.  Some  of  them,  as 
curious  as  myself,  indeed,  sought  to  cultivate  my  acc[uaintance 
and  to  learn  from  me  how  we  are  accustomed  to  do  these 
things. 

An  imperial  tablet  is  to  be  seen  in  most  of  the  greater  tem- 
ples. Formerly  the  Mohammedans  refused  to  admit  it  into 
their  mosques,  regarding  the  respect  paid  to  it  as  idolatrous. 
Lately,  however,  they  have  waived  the  objection,  in  order  to 
vindicate  themselves  from  suspicion  of  complicity  in  the  insur- 
rectionary movements  of  their  co-religionists.  Might  not  the 
tablet,  with  great  propriety,  be  set  up  in  every  Christian  church, 
where,  no  prostrations  being  required,  its  presence  would  have 
no  religious  significance  further  than  to  indicate  that  the  em- 
peror was  prayed  for?  Such  a  proof  of  loyalty  would  be  valu- 
aljle. 

I  heard  once  a  concert  of  musical  instruments  accompanied 
by  the  e.\i)losion  of  fire-crackers  in  a  cluster  of  cabins  near  our 
dwelling.  'Ilic  musicians,  who  bore  festive  banners  and  wore 
red  tassels  on  their  caps,  had  come  to  announce  to  the  occu- 


SCEXES  AXD   IXCIDEXTS  lol 

pants  of  that  humble  abode  that  Changyun,  a  relative  of  theirs, 
had  gained  the  first  honor  at  Peking  in  a  literary  competition 
which  takes  place  in  the  palace,  and  that  the  emperor  had 
marked  his  name  with  vermilion,  as  scholar-laureate  of  the 
empire.  The  family  of  the  poor  student  at  once  emerged  from 
obscurity.  The  whole  city  rejoiced  in  their  good  fortune.  The 
wife  of  the  laureate  was  invited  to  visit  the  six  gates  and  scat- 
ter rice  by  wav  of  exorcising  the  bad  luck  which  is  believed  to 
threaten  many  in  consec[uence  of  the  brilliant  success  of  one. 
No  wonder  the  winning  of  that  proud  position  is  the  school- 
boy's dream! 

I  may  here  also  mention  a  circumstance  of  which  I  was  not 
a  mere  observer,  as  in  the  preceding  scenes.  Standing  one 
evening,  lamp  in  hand,  in  the  portico  of  the  church,  and  talk- 
ing to  the  sexton,  I  felt  the  floor  move  under  me.  I  exclaimed, 
Tien  yao  didoni:; .'  ("An  earthquake"),  and  rushed  down  the 
steps  with  such  force  that  I  flattened  the  lamp  against  the  wall 
of  the  court.  About  midnight  we  were  wakened  by  a  much 
harder  shock,  which  seemed  as  if  it  would  bring  our  house 
down.  This,  in  fact,  it  helped  to  do;  for  it  cracked  the  walls, 
as  it  did  those  of  other  high  buildings.  A  wet  season  ensuing, 
the  half-burned  bricks  which  a  knavish  contractor  had  wrought 
into  the  building  were  reduced  to  pulp.  One  niglit,  six  months 
after  the  earthquake,  we  were  aroused  by  the  crumbling  of  the 
wall,  and  had  hardly  time  to  escape  with  our  children  when 
it  came  down  with  a  crash.  Happilv,  the  tile  roof  was  sup- 
ported by  wooden  pillars — a  mode  of  building  well  adapted  to 
a  country  where  seismic  convulsions,  if  not  frequent,  are  some- 
times violent.  As  to  the  origin  of  earthquakes,  the  Chinese 
are  as  wise  as  the  ancient  Greeks  —  ascribing  them  to  the  rest- 
lessness of  a  huge  fish  instead  of  a  giant.  Sometimes,  however, 
they  refer  them  to  the  magic  of  foreigners,  which  they  regard 
as  more  potent  than  Enceladus  or  Leviathan. 

Among  the  strangers  from  distant  places  who  found  their 


102  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

way  to  my  house,  mostly  drawn  by  curiosity,  was  a  man  from 
Hangchau,  by  the  name  of  Chu.  Besides  being  actuated  by 
a  worthier  motive,  he  deserves  mention  as  a  typical  Taoist. 
With  him  religious  truth  was  a  matter  of  supreme  concern. 
He  had  studied  Buddhism  and  incorporated  much  of  it  in  his 
hospitable  creed.  Hearing  of  a  new  religion  from  the  West, 
he  undertook  this  journey  with  the  hope  of  making  further 
additions  to  his  treasury  of  religious  ideas.  Nor  was  he  dis- 
appointed in  the  result,  though  I  was.  For  in  Christ  he  rec- 
ognized the  latest  manifestation  of  Tao,  the  divine  principle, 
but  he  was  not  prepared  to  confess  him  as  Lord  and  renounce 
his  old  master.  In  taking  leave,  he  expressed  his  sense  of  the 
value  of  the  new  doctrine  by  inviting  me  to  send  men  to  preach 
it  in  the  provincial  cai)ital,  and  promising  to  aid  them  in  their 
mission.  He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  receiving  my  two  cate- 
chists  into  his  own  house ;  and  when  his  termagant  wife  made 
it  too  hot  for  them,  he  procured  them  lodgings  at  an  inn,  and 
paid  their  expenses,  as  he  was  well  able  to  do,  being  a  pawn- 
broker in  easy  circumstances. 

During  their  stay  he  was  assiduous  in  consulting  the  oracles- 
of  Taoism,  and  sent  me  by  their  hands  communications  fresh 
from  the  spirit-world  in  i)raise  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  assert- 
ing its  substantial  identity  with  the  teachings  of  all  the  ancient 
sages.  This  was  not  unlike  the  indorsement  given  to  Paul  and 
Silas  bv  a  votarv  of  Apollo :  "  'i'hese  be  the  servants  of  the 
most  liigh  Cod,  wln'ch  show  unto  us  the  way  of  salvation." 
Only,  in  this  rase,  the  f)I(l  spirit  of  Python  was  never  exor- 
cised. When  the  catechists  re\-isited  Hangchau,  Mr.  Chu  was 
dead.  Let  us  hope  that  he  found  in  the  other  world  "the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,"  which  he  sought  here  with  so 
nuH  li  ardor. 

Tao,  the  name  of  his  sect,  signifies  "  way  "  and  "  truth  "  or 
"reason";  and  it  professes  to  lead  to  everlastiixg  "life,"  i.e., 
a  jjliysical  immortality.     'Lhe  jjrincij)les  that  brought  him  into 


SClLNES  AND  tNCIDENTS  103 

sympathy  with  Christianity  lie  drew  from  the  fountain-head  of 
Taoist  philosopliy,  an  ancient  manual  called  Tao-fe-king,  a 
guide  to  "  truth  and  virtue,"  in  which  we  find  the  precept, 
"Repay  injury  with  kindness."  Its  author— l.i-rh,  known  as 
Laotse,  the  "  old  philosopher,"  because,  though  contemporary, 
he  was  older  than  Confucius — closed  a  studious,  uneventful 
life  in  the  sixth  century  B.C.  The  keeper  of  many  books, 
being  royal  librarian,  he  wrote  nothing  that  we  have  heard  of 
except  the  little  treatise  above  named.  The  authorship  of 
even  that  work  is  much  disputed.  It  was  extant,  we  know, 
however,  in  the  third  century  h.c,  and  as  tradition  uniformly 
ascribes  it  to  him,  and  as  without  it  it  would  not  be  easy  to  ac- 
count for  his  authority  as  the  founder  of  a  religion,  we  should 
be  content  to  accept  it  as  genuine.  The  seeds  of  Taoism  are 
to  be  found  in  that  book.  Obscure  as  the  fragments  of  Hera- 
clitus,  and,  like  the  earlier  philosophy  of  all  nations,  couched 
m  a  sort  of  rambling  verse  to  aid  the  memory,  it  appears  to 
be  a  collection  of  detached  thoughts  on  the  world,  human  so- 
ciety, and  self-government.  Of  surprising  breadth  and  pene- 
tration, as  some  of  them  are,  they  consist  mostly  of  vague 
generalities,  destitute  of  logical  connection  or  precision.  The 
author  might  be  chargeable  with  the  artifices  of  paradox  and 
an  affected  singularity  of  manner,  if  both  were  not  natural  to 
a  recluse  who  dissents  from  the  ways  of  the  world.  In  this 
he  much  resembles  the  earlier  Christian  writers.  So  near,  in 
fact,  does  he  approach  to  Christianity  in  thought  and  spirit, 
that  some  find  in  his  writings  traces  of  the  Christian  Trinitv. 
Take,  for  example,  his  simple  cosmogony:  "One  produced  a 
second  ;  the  two  produced  a  third  ;  and  the  three  produced  all 
things."  Again  he  says  :  "  There  are  three  inscrutable  things 
that  blend  in  unity.  The  first  is  not  the  brighter,  nor  the  last 
the  more  obscure.  Boundless  in  operation,  there  is  no  name 
to  call  them  by."  These  "  three  things  "  are,  however,  not 
beings,  but  properties  of  Tao,  the  active  principle  of  order  in 


I04  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

tlie  universe.  Meaning  "  reason  "  and  "  worcl^"  Tao  resembles 
the  logos  of  St.  John,  but  differs  from  it  in  being  an  impersonal 
principle  instead  of  a  personal  agent.  "  Conscious  law  is  King 
of  kings,"  says  Emerson,  educated  in  the  school  of  Christianity. 

Laotse  never  rose  to  the  conception  of  mind  on  the  throne 
of  the  universe.  Monism  was  the  starting-point  of  his  theory 
—  one  substance,  matter,  capable  of  evolving  mind.  He 
teaches,  though  not  in  express  terms,  the  possibility  of  acquir- 
ing such  a  mastery  over  physical  nature  as  to  defy  death  and 
work  miracles.  From  these  obscure  hints,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  more  ancient  "  Book  of  Changes,"  his  disciples  de- 
duced the  twin  doctrines  of  the  transmutation  of  metals  and 
the  elixir  of  life,  thus  originating  the  practice  of  alchemy  many 
centuries  before  it  found  its  way  into  Europe. 

Taoism  was  favored  by  the  builder  of  the  Great  AVall,  who 
butchered  the  followers  of  Confucius  and  burned  their  books. 
It  was  favored,  also,  by  the  founders  of  the  following  dynasty. 
Changliang,  Avho  did  more  than  any  other  to  place  the  Prince 
of  Han  on  tlie  throne,  was  a  disciple  of  Laotse,  and  attained 
immortah'ty,  as  it  was  believed,  without  death. 

With  the  resurrection  of  the  books  in  the  succeeding  reigns, 
Confucianism  again  obtained  ascendancy;  and  in  tlie  first  cen- 
tury of  our  era  another  rival  appeared  on  the  arena,  in  liud- 
dhism,  which  was  introduced  from  India.  About  the  same 
time  Chang  'raf)ling,  a  noted  master  of  occult  science,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Chang  above  named,  was  l)y  imperial  decree 
created  poi)e  of  Taoism  ;  a  dignity  made  hereditary,  as  were 
the  lu'gli-jiriesthoods  of  the  other  religions  at  a  later  epoch. 
Vnr  a  long  time  the  three  creeds  waged  a  bitter  war,  alternately 
jjerseciitiiig  and  persecuted  ;  until,  after  the  lapse  of  many  cen- 
turies, they  arrixed  at  a  viodiis  rii'oidi  by  dividing  between 
themse]\-es  the  donn'nion  of  the  three  worlds;  heaven  being 
assigned  to  IJnddha,  hell  to  'i'aoism,  and  this  world  to  Con- 
fucius.   Jjiiddhism,  it  is  true,  continues  to  make  much  of  hell; 


SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS 


if>5 


but,  ill  popular  belief,  the  Taoist  hierarch  has  the  control  of 
demons.  He  lives  on  the  Lunghu  Mountain,  in  Kiangsi,  in 
a  palace  resembling  that  of  an  emperor,  in  which  visitors  are 
shown  long  rows  of  sealed  jars,  containing  spirits  of  evil,  im- 
prisoned by  the  arch-magician.  They  are  arrested  on  com- 
plaint of  those  who  suffer  at  their  hands.  His  clergy  have  a 
monopoly  of  exorcism  and  witchcraft,  constituting  a  vested 
interest  in  the  superstitions  of  the  people. 


RAISING    MONEV    FOR    A    TAOIST   TEMPLE. 


Nor  does  the  imperial  state  of  the  Taoist  pope  consist  solely 
in  a  sumptuous  palace  ;  he  has  the  appointment  of  civic  deities, 
as  the  emperor  has  the  appointment  of  mandarins.  Every  city 
has  its  tutelar  divinity,  as  those  of  Europe  have  their  tutelar 
saints.     These  are  the  souls  of  deceased  mandarins ;  and  the 


io6 


A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 


Taoist  pope  who  makes  and   unniakes  tlieni  exerts  a  spiritual 
sway  that  is  not  to  be  despised. 

Beginning  with  mutter,  I'aoism  has  developed  a  system  very 
similar  to  the  so-called  "  spiritualism  "  of  our  day.  It  peoples 
the  universe  with  .sj)irits  of  various  grades,  from  all  of  which 
revelations  are  received  through  ihe/u/a//  (or  "magic  pen"), 
a  form  of  planchette  that  has  been  in  vogue  for  many  centuries. 
Many  of  its  sacred  books  are  referred  to  this  origin.  A  chop- 
stick  or  poker,  attached  to  a  cross-bar,  is  supported  on  the 
hands  of  two  persons  in  such  manner  that  its  point  touches 
a  layer  of  meal  or  sand,  with  which  a  table  is  covered.  The 
spirit  invoked  causes  it  to  vibrate,  and  the  marks  traced  on  the 
table  are  the  response,  which  none  but  the  initiated  know  how 
to  interpret. 


CHAPTER  VII 

EXCURSIONS    IN    THE    PROVINCE 

A  fair  valley  and  a  foul  crime — The  baby-tower — Preaching  in  Examina- 
tion Hall — Brownsville  and  exogamy — A  stage  for  a  pulpit — Country 
hospitality — Village  feuds — The  provincial  capital — A  Chinese  Venice 
— Tomlj  of  an  emperor — The  flood  in  China — Stupid  models — Clever 
lawyers 

N'OW  that  the  whole  country  is  checkered  by  the  footsteps 
_  of  them  that  sow  beside  all  waters,  my  early  journeys 
are  hardly  worth  notice  except  as  a  record  of  exploration. 
One  of  these  was  to  the  beautiful  valley  of  Ningkonggiao.  A 
crystal  stream,  navigable  for  light  canoes  ;  green  hills,  that  rise 
in  high  ranges  on  either  bank  ;  groves  of  tall  fir-trees,  inter- 
spersed with  clumps  of  feathery  bamboo,  clothing  the  hillsides  ; 
and  masses  of  castellated  rocks,  crowning  the  hilltops — such  are 
the  elements  of  a  landscape  rarely  to  be  met  with  in  the  North 
of  China,  but  not  rare  in  the  picturesque  province  of  Chekiang. 
The  narrow  valley  is  overcrowded  with  people,  and  I  saw 
painful  evidence  of  the  prevalence  of  infanticide,  in  numerous 
handbills  exhorting  the  people  to  spare  the  lives  of  their  female 
children.  One  man  whom  I  questioned  on  the  subject  said 
cynically  that  they  put  their  girls  out  of  the  way  because  if 
spared  to  grow  up  they  would  bring  disgrace  on  their  parents. 
Another  confessed  that  several  of  his  female  children — I  forget 
how  many — had  been  smothered  in  the  hour  of  birth.  When 
expostulated  with  on  the  enormity  of  the  crime,  he  excused 
himself  by  shifting  the  blame  upon  his  neighbors,  who,  he  said, 

107 


loS  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

relieved  him  of  tliat  disagreeai)le  task.  Despite  humane  laws 
and  humane  literature,  this  shocking  crime  prevails  in  many, 
but  not  in  all,  parts  of  the  empire.  It  is  almost  unknown  at 
the  capital,  where  it  is  forestalled  by  nipping  the  young  life  at 
an  earlier  stage.  For  so  dark  a  blot  on  the  honor  of  his  coun- 
try, strange  to  say,  one  of  China's  wisest  sages  is  partly  respon- 
sible. For  was  it  not  Mencius  who  said  that  "the  greatest  sin 
against  filial  piety  is  to  have  no  son  "?  Everybody,  therefore, 
marries  as  soon  as  possible — parents  pushing  their  children 
into  matrimony  before  they  are  out  of  their  teens — and  when 
that  first  of  duties  is  fulfilled  and  the  family  sacrifices  provided 
for,  little  regard  is  felt  for  supernumerary  off^spring,  especially 
girls. 

Strange  again  that  this  disesteem  of  the  female  sex,  which 
marks  them  out  for  victims,  and  which,  in  spite  of  literary  cul- 
ture, stamps  a  people  with  barbarism,  should  be  inculcated  in 
the  S/iikiiig,  one  of  the  sacred  books  of  the  East.  Here  is  a 
passage  from  the  work  cited : 

"  If  a  boy  is  born,  in  a  downy  l>e(l 
Let  him  be  wrapped,  in  purple  and  red ; 
Ajiparel  Ijright  and  jewels  l)ring 
For  the  noble  child  who  shall  serve  the  king. 

"  If  a  girl  is  Ijorn,  in  coarse  clotli  wound, 
With  a  tile  for  a  toy,  let  her  lie  on  the  ground; 
In  her  bread  and  her  beer  be  her  ])raise  or  lier  blame, 
And  let  her  not  sully  her  jiarents'  good  name." 

On  the  outskirts  of  city  or  town  may  be  noticed  a  low 
tower,  more  sad  in  its  suggestions  tlian  the  Parsce  "tower  of 
silence"  seen  at  l>oinl)av.  It  is  the  baby-tower,  or  receptacle 
for  the  uncotTined  corpses  of  infants.  No  inquiry  is  made  as 
to  tlie  cause  of  deatli  ;  no  ceremony  is  observed  in  sepulture. 
A  hideous  superstition  comes  in  t<j  aggravate  the  heartlestness 
of  parental  neglect. 


£XCi'RSIOXS  IX   THE  PROVIXCE  109 

When  a  child  dies  before  it  is  old  enough  to  repay  the  care 
of  its  parents,  it  is  looked  on  as  the  reincarnation  of  a  creditor, 
to  whom  an  unpaid  debt  was  due  in  a  former  life.  During  sick- 
ness the  parents  nurse  it  tenderly,  but  the  moment  it  expires 
their  point  of  view  is  changed.  They  see  in  the  corpse  noth- 
ing but  the  mask  of  an  inexorable  dun ;  and,  as  it  crosses  the 
threshold  wrapped  in  a  coarse  mat,  a  gash  is  made  in  the  door- 
sill  with  a  knife  or  ax  to  signify  that  the  last  tie  is  severed  and 
that  the  spirit  must  not  return  to  enter  another  body.  Akin  to 
this  is  the  cruel  practice  of  shifting  the  dying,  whether  young 
or  old,  to  a  temporary  bed,  often  out  of  doors,  lest  the  bed- 
room should  be  haunted  by  the  ghost  of  the  deceased.  How 
unlike  the  tender  teachings  of  the  gospel! 

Another  journey  undertaken  was  to  Funghua,  a  mountain- 
ous district  about  fifty  miles  from  Xingpo.  The  inhabitants, 
fierce  and  rude,  were  at  that  time  reputed  to  be  so  hostile  to 
foreigners  that  my  teacher  Lu  refused  to  accompany  me,  pre- 
dicting that  I  would  get  into  trouble.  Ascending  the  south 
branch  of  the  Ningpo  River,  I  found  it  so  shallow  where  it 
emerged  from  the  mountains  that  I  had  to  change  my  boat 
for  a  sort  of  catamaran,  made  of  large  bamboos,  whose  hollow 
joints  give  it  buoyancy.  All  the  traffic  and  travel  are  carried 
on  by  means  of  these  light  craft,  for  the  want,  perhaps,  of  good 
roads.  Similar  craft,  drawing  only  tw'o  or  three  inches,  might 
be  used  with  advantage  on  small  streams  in  our  country,  if  bam- 
boos were  plentiful  and  cheap.  Drawn  by  tow-line  or  pushed 
by  poles,  it  is  slow  work  to  make  headway  against  the  current ; 
but  downstream  one  enjoys  a  perpetual  shooting  of  rapids, 
with  just  enough  danger  to  impart  a  relish. 

Installed  in  a  suburban  temple  whose  wooden  framework 
had  been  standing  for  eight  hundred  years,  I  went  into  the  city 
to  look  for  a  place  to  preach.  Expressing  mv  wisli  to  some 
of  the  people,  to  whom  at  the  same  time  I  gave  a  few  tracts, 
"  Come,"  said  they,  "  we  will  show  you  the  Examination  Hall ; 


no  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

you  shall  preach  to  us  there."  "  But  will  not  your  officers  ob- 
ject?" I  cautiously  hinted,  not  wishing  to  expose  myself  to  the 
ignominy  of  being  turned  out.  "Not  they,"  was  the  reply; 
"  7t'(f  built  the  hall,  and  we  have  a  right  to  make  use  of  it." 

Taking  possession  of  the  barrack-like  structure,  which  had 
seats  and  tables  for  four  or  five  hundred,  I  made  known  my 
message  to  successive  crowds  for  two  or  three  days ;  now  ad- 
dressing them  in  set  discourse,  anon  instructing  individual  in- 
quirers, or  refuting  the  cavils  of  objectors. 

Fron.  Funghua  I  directed  my  steps  to  Si-wu,  an  unwalled 
town  of  some  five  and  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  These 
all  bear  ihe  family  name  of  Wu,  or  Brown ;  and  as  Chinese 
law,  more  strict  than  ours,  interdicts  the  marriage  of  persons  of 
the  same  surname,  no  matter  how  distantly  related,  the  people 
of  Brownsville  export  their  daughters  to  the  neighboring  town 
of  Forestville,  and  receive  the  Misses  Forest  in  exchange.  A 
family  system  in  which  the  branches  take  root  without  sepa- 
rating from  the  parent  tree  evidently  recjuires  such  a  law.  To 
add  a  higher  sanction,  custom  bestows  on  all  the  cousins  to  the 
fortieth  degree  the  title  of  l)rothcr  or  sister.  Thus  to  make  all 
the  women  of  a  city  taboo  to  all  the  men,  is  not  that  exogamy 
run  wild  ?  Per  co/it?-a,  so  little  regard  is  paid  to  relationship 
outside  f)f  the  family  name  that  the  marriage  of  half-brother 
and  half-sister  is  not  prohibited. 

Giving  a  few  tracts  to  well-disposed  persons,  I  was  requestc  I 
to  preach.  "If  you  desire  U)  hear,"  said  I,  "you  must  pro 
vide  me  with  a  suitable  place — 1  object  to  preaching  in  the 
street;"  a  practice,  by  the  way,  which  I  have  always  shunned 
as  derogatory  to  the  dignity  of  the  gospel,  though  I  do  not 
deny  that  it  may  be  admissible  in  some  cases.  "There  is  the 
theater,"  answered  they;  "perh;ii>s  that  will  siu't  you." 

Conducting  me  to  a  vast  temple,  wliicli  bore  the  inscription, 
.S7//V  /su  Miiio  (" 'I'o  our  ]''irst  Ancestor"),  \lirv  pointed  me  to 
u  covered  stage,  from  which  1  discoursed,  to  many  hundreds 


EXCURSIONS  IN  THE  PROVINCE 


til 


of  listeners,   of  our   first  ancestor  and   the   God  who  made 
him. 

At  a  village  on  the  road  I  addressed  a  company  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree,  which,  by  the  way,  was  not  street-preaching. 
When  I  had  finished,  a  respectable  old  man  invited  me  to  go 
to  his  house  and  breakfast,  to  which  I  readily  consented.  The 
house  was  well-built,  commodious,  and  clean ;  the  occupant 
being  one  of  the  better  class  of  farmers  who  cultivate  their  own 
ground.  The  table  was  spread  with  a  variety  that  betokened 
good  living,  rice-wine  not  being  wanting.  To  me,  however, 
there  was  a  irreat  want ;    there   was  no  fork  with  which  to 


A    FAMILY    AT    ISRICAKFAST. 


take  up  the  shrimps,  eels,  and  chicken,  which  formed  the  chief 
dislies.  My  host,  seeing  me  embarrassed  in  trying  to  convey 
to  my  mouth  small  morsels  with  two  round  sticks  (the  chop- 
sticks in  universal  use),  made  a  sign  to  his  daughter,  who 
brought  me  the  spindle  of  her  spinning-wheel.  With  that  I  was 
able  to  spear  my  eels  and  shrimps  with  sufficient  ease,  but  in 
a  way  that  must  have  appeared  uncivilized  to  Chinese  eyes. 
Happily,  there  were  no  other  guests  and  no  spectators. 


112  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

From  Brownsville  it  was  my  intention  to  proceed  south- 
ward to  a  city  on  the  sea-coast  called  Ninghai.  Already  on 
the  way,  I  was  deterred  from  going  farther  by  learning  that  a 
rumor  had  preceded  me  to  the  effect  that  *'  a  foreign  general 
was  coming  with  forty  men,"  to  help  the  people  of  a  fron- 
tier village  against  those  of  a  neighboring  town,  with  whom 
they  were  waging  one  of  those  private  wars  so  common  in 
China.  The  war,  it  seems,  had  s])rung  from  a  watermelon 
seed.  In  the  original  quarrel,  which  grew  out  of  a  disitute 
about  the  price  of  a  melon,  a  man  was  killed.  In  retaliation^ 
two  or  three  were  killed,  and  thus  the  series  went  on  expand- 
ing until,  shortly  before  this  date,  some  ten  or  twelve  men  of 
the  northern  village  had  been  captured  by  their  southern 
neighbors,  bound  head  and  foot,  and  hacked  to  pieces  by  the 
widows  of  those  who  had  been  slain  by  them  or  their  party. 
Each  woman  as  she  gave  a  blow  said  solemnly:  "Take  that 
for  my  husband! "  In  China,  especially  in  the  South,  the  ven- 
detta is  no  less  obligatory  than  in  Arabia  or  in  medieval  Italy. 

Hangchau,  the  ca])ilal  of  the  province,  is  classed  w^ith  Su- 
chau  as  one  of  the  two  finest  cities  in  the  empire.  As  a  pro- 
verb has  it : 

"  Sliang  yu  Tien  Tang, 
Ilia  yu  Su  Hang." 

"  Above  the  heavens  witli  splendor  shine, 
But  Su  and  Ilang  are  (juite  as  fine." 

No  foreigner,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  had  visited  the 
latter  since  Amherst's  embassy  })assed  through  it  in  iSi6.  My 
friend,  the  Re\-.  Henry  Rankin,  and  I  were  permitted  to  pass 
the  gates  without  disguise  ;  but  the  people,  not  yet  familiar  with 
I''.uropeaii  costume,  called  us  Ja])aiiese  — a  tradition  of  Japa- 
nese ])irati(al  iiiciii-sioiis  being  still  extant.  A\'e  found  the  place 
vast  in  extent,  inclosing  several  hills,  and  retaining  some  ves- 
tiges (;f  imperial  magnificence,  having  been  the  last  capital  of 


'\mi  i 


EXCUKSIOKS  IN   THE  PROVINCE  113 

the  Sungs  when  they  were  driven  south  by  the  Mongols  in  1278. 
Beyond  the  walls,  on  the  western  side,  is  a  small  lake,  the 
shores  of  which  are  studded  with  pagodas  and  temples.  In 
a  monastery  looking  out  on  that  lovely  landscape  we  found  a 
shelter  for  the  night,  taking  leave  with  the  sunrise  of  the  next 
day,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  bonzes  (monks),  who  regarded  us 
with  undisguised  suspicion. 

Ur.  Nevius  and  Bishop  Burdon,  who  went  there  in  1858, 
were  the  first  missionaries  who  succeeded  in  establishing  them- 
selves in  that  great  city,  where  there  are  now  three  flourishing 
missions.  The  configuration  of  Hangchau  Bay  is  such  as  to 
produce  that  rare  marine  phenomenon  called  the  bore — a  tide- 
wave  that  rushes  into  the  river  with  a  frightful  roar,  and  pre- 
sents in  its  incoming  flow  the  aspect  of  a  wall  of  water.  That 
of  the  Hooghly,  at  Calcutta,  is  perhaps  better  known,  and 
that  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  is  higher ;  but  so  extraordinary  is 
the  bore  of  Hangchau  that  in  October,  when  it  rises  highest, 
the  magistrates  meet  it  with  prostrations  and  burning  incense, 
believing  it  to  herald  the  approach  of  a  sea-god. 

On  our  way  back  we  explored  the  city  of  Shaohing,  in  which, 
as  in  Venice,  the  streets  are  canals,  and  boats  the  common 
vehicles.  While  we  were  preaching  and  distributing  books,  a 
well-dressed  man  pressed  through  the  crowd  and  invited  us  to 
take  luncheon  at  his  house.  He  was  a  Chii-Jin,  or  Master  of 
Arts,  and  belonged  to  one  of  the  best  families.  His  attentions 
were  prompted,  not  by  idle  curiosity,  but,  as  he  courteously 
said,  by  a  desire  to  "  show  proper  respect  to  educated  men 
from  a  distant  land." 

A  mile  or  so  from  the  wall  stands  one  of  the  most  famous 
shrines  of  the  far  East — the  mausoleum  of  the  Emperor  Ta  Yu 
(the  "Great  Yu"),  who  surveyed  the  empire,  divided  it  into  nine 
provinces,  and  founded  the  first  great  dynasty,  B.C.  2100.  A 
monument  records  his  exploits,  in  tadpole  characters,  so  called 
because  each  stroke  resembles  a  nascent  frog  with  a  bulky  head 


114  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

and  wavy  tail.  No  scholar  of  the  present  day  can  read  it ,  it 
is  accordingly  accompanied  by  a  transliteration  into  modern 
Chinese,  whose  forms  became  fixed  in  the  fourth  century  a.d. 
The  genuineness  of  this  inscription  is  not  unquestioned,  though 
no  one  doubts  its  antiquity.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
Yukung,  a  chapter  in  the  Chinese  Genesis,  which  professes  to 
narrate  Ta  Yu's  travels  and  achievements.  But,  if  apocryphal, 
both  documents,  like  most  of  their  kind,  owe  their  existence 
to  the  fame  of  an  historical  personage. 

The  facts  of  this  emperor's  history,  making  due  allowance 
for  hyperbole,  are  as  related  in  other  parts  of  the  work  we  have 
mentioned.  In  the  reign  of  Yao,  it  seems,  a  flood  of  waters 
covered  all  the  level  ground,  "  embosomed  the  mountains,  and 
threatened  heaven  itself."  A  minister  was  put  to  death  for 
having  failed  to  bring  the  rivers  back  to  their  forgotten  chan- 
nels, and  then  his  son  was  appointed  to  the  vacant  post,  with, 
of  course,  the  same  penalty  hanging  over  his  head.  This  was 
no  other  than  our  hero,  Ta  Yu,  who,  after  nine  years  of  toil, 
during  which  he  thrice  i)assed  his  own  door  without  finding 
time  to  enter,  succeeded  in  accomplishing  a  task  in  compari- 
son with  which  the  labors  of  Hercules  were  child's  play.  So 
delighted  was  the  Emperor  Shun — himself  the  adopted  suc- 
cessor of  Yao — that  he  adopted  the  successful  engineer,  to  the 
exclusion  of  his  own  son.  Ta  Yu  ascended  the  throne,  and 
showed  himself  ctjually  arduous  in  the  work  of  administration, 
"leaving  the  table  thrice  during  one  re])ast,"  as  it  is  said,  to 
give  instructions  to  his  officers  ;  and,  on  coming  out  of  his  bath, 
hurrying  awnv  to  business  "without  taking  time  to  tie  up  his 
hair."  To  the  ])resent  day  he  is  held  up  as  tlie  national  model 
of  diligence,  alike  for  sovereign  and  for  subject. 

"  Great  Yu  was  careful  of  every  inch  of  time.  ^Ve  common 
mortals  sliould  not  waste  tlie  tenth  f)f  an  inch,"  is  tlie  transla- 
tion of  a  pair  of  scrolls  which  set  liis  exam]>lc  before  the  eyes 
of  students  in  the  hall  of  the  Tungwen  College,  in  Peking.     Is 


EXCURSIONS  IN   THE  PLOVINCE  115 

not  the  appointment  of  Ta  Yu  to  his  father's  post  just  what  we 
should  expect  of  a  monarch  hke  Yao,  who  made  a  law  that 
"children  are  not  to  suffer  for  the  sins  ot  their  parents"? 
And  was  not  the  disinheriting  of  an  unworthy  prince  in  Ta 
Yu's  favor  the  converse  of  the  same  principle?  In  these  de- 
generate days  treason,  even  constructive  treason,  always  en- 
tails the  annihilation  of  a  whole  family.  No  wonder  the  Chi- 
nese look  back  regretfully  to  an  age  when  the  throne  was  the 
prize  of  merit! 

Some  have  supposed  that  Ta  Yu's  flood  was  a  remote  effect 
of  that  of  Noah,  which  occurred  three  centuries  before.  The 
latter  was  the  subject  of  a  Sunday-school  lesson  in  the  Inter- 
national Series,  recently  translated  by  a  committee  of  mission- 
aries. In  the  habit  of  giving  the  Chinese  chronology  alongside 
of  that  of  Usher,  they  were  a  little  startled,  when  the  lesson 
came  back  from  the  printer,  to  read  at  the  top  of  the  page,  which 
stated  that  "  all  the  high  mountains  under  the  whole  heavens 
were  covered"  the  date  "thirteenth  year  of  the  Emperor 
Chuanhii,"  implying  that  all  was  tranquil  in  China. 

Near  Shaohing  we  crossed  the  river  Zaongo,  which  takes 
its  name  from  one  of  the  twenty-four  models  of  filial  piety.  A 
ferryman  having  been  drowned,  his  daughter,  after  seeking 
the  corpse  without  success,  threw  herself  into  the  stream  in  de- 
spair. After  three  days  her  body  floated  to  the  surface,  bring- 
ing up  that  of  her  parent !  Moral :  the  duty  of  suicide  in  a 
similar  case. 

The  other  models  in  this  precious  collection  are  not,  in  gen- 
eral, more  worthy  of  imitation.  One  is  a  little  boy,  who  lay  on 
the  ice  to  melt  it,  that  he  might  catch  a  fish  for  his  mother's 
breakfast.  Another,  a  lad,  who,  on  the  occurrence  of  a  thun- 
der-storm, remembering  that  his  mother  was  afraid  of  liglit- 
ning,  threw  himself  on  her  grave  and  cried,  "  Don't  be  afraid, 
mama;   your  son  is  here."     Amiable  idiots!     Arcades  ambo  I 

We  have  heard  of  a  man   of  science  who   believed    that 


Il6  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"  Little  Jack  Horner"  veils  a  bolar  myth.  In  China  the  "four 
and  twenty  blackbirds  "  are  taken  seriously.  Artists  vie  with 
one  another  in  inventing  illustrations ;  and  scholars,  even  the 
most  eminent  in  the  land,  solicit  the  privilege  of  writing  a  chap- 
ter to  be  printed  in  autograph ! 

Shaohing  is  famed  for  good  wine  and  clever  lawyers.  Here 
is  a  story  from  a  Chinese  book  of  anecdotes,  which  shows  how 
a  Shaohing  lawyer  got  his  client  out  of  a  desperate  "  fix."  A 
young  man  was  charged  with  knocking  out  his  father's  teeth. 
Death,  in  consequence  of  the  unfilial  act,  stared  him  in  the  face. 
Left  alone  with  the  criminal,  the  lawyer  looked  grave  and 
walked  rapidly  round  the  room,  talking  all  the  while.  "  It's 
a  bad  case,"  he  said,  dropping  his  voice  and  whispering  in  the 
prisoner's  ear.  Suddenly  seizing  the  ear  between  his  teeth,  he 
gave  it  a  severe  bite.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  the  pris- 
oner, raising  his  fist.  "  I  mean,"  said  the  lawyer,  "  that  you 
are  saved.  You  have  only  to  show  the  prints  of  my  teeth,  and 
say  that  they  were  made  by  your  father,  whose  teeth,  being 
shaky,  dropped  out!" 

In  China  there  is  a  bench,  but  no  bar.  The  legal  profes- 
sion is  unrecognized  by  law,  yet  it  is  indispensable.  In  all  trials, 
civil  or  criminal,  the  papers  are  drawn  up  by  lawyers  ;  but  there 
is  no  jury  ff)r  them  to  mislead,  and  they  are  not  permitted  to 
plead  before  the  judge.  It  would  do  much  to  promote  justice 
if  they  were  employed  in  open  court  to  examine  witnesses,  in- 
stead of  leaving  the  judge  to  obtain  his  evidence  by  torture. 

'I'liere  are  other  trips  of  which  I  cherish  pleasant  memories. 
One  was  to  "  Snowy  Valley,"  where  there  is  a  cascade  that 
might  vie  witli  Yosemite ;  another  was  to  Tunghu,  an  artifi- 
cial lake  seven  miles  in  length  and  of  great  beauty ;  others, 
again,  were  to  noted  mountains  or  famous  shrines.  l?ut  all 
these  must  Ik-  passed  over  in  silence,  since  we  have  tarried  too 
long  (;n  the  three  that  form  the  subject  of  this  chapter. 


CHAPTER   VIII 


VISITS    TO    THE    ISLANDS 


Chusan — Queer  ways  of  fishing — Puto — Priests,  temples,  and  human  sac- 
rifices—  Pirates  —  Experience  as  a  prisoner 

ONE  of  our  summer  resorts  was  Tinghai,  on  the  island  of 
Chusan,  where,  in  addition  to  salt  air,  we  had  easy  ac- 
cess to  salt  water.  While  there,  I  was  one  day  startled  by  a 
splash  not  far  from  my  window.  Raising  my  eyes,  I  was  hor- 
rified to  see  an  old  man  sinking  in  a  fresh-water  pond,  and  I 
at  once  rushed  to  the  rescue.  Seeing  me  about  to  plunge  in, 
the  bystanders  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  calling  out  at  the  same 
time,  Katv  >ig,  kaw  iig  !  ("  Catching  fish,  catching  fish !  ").  Just 
then  the  old  man  appeared  above  the  surface,  and,  the  water 
not  being  very  deep,  he  stood  up  to  take  breath.  Thrusting  a 
fish  into  a  wicker  pouch  attached  to  his  loins,  he  dived  again, 
taking  pains  to  make  as  much  commotion  as  possible  with 
hands  and  feet  while  pursuing  the  fish  in  their  own  element. 
By  frightening  and  bewildering  them,  he  somehow  succeeded 
in  making  them  run  into  his  hands,  for  he  had  no  net  or  other 
contrivance  for  catching  them. 

One  of  the  curious  sights  to  be  witnessed  on  the  rivers  and 
canals  of  central  China  is  the  practice  of  fishing  with  cormo- 
rants. Half  a  dozen  of  these  birds  may  be  seen  perched  on 
the  edge  of  a  small  boat ;  one  after  another  they  plunge  into 
the  water,  and  each  without  fail  returns  with  its  prey.  A  ring 
about  the  neck  prevents  their  swallowing  the  larger  fish,  which 

117 


ii8 


A    CYCLE   OF  CAT  HAY 


go  to  the  account  of  their  master.  Another  pecuh'ar  mode  of 
fishing  is  to  tilt  a  small  boat  in  such  a  manner  that  the  edge 
(to  which  is  attached  a  narrow  strip  of  white  plank)  is  near  the 
surface  of  the  water.  A  sort  of  silver  fish  that  swim  in  shoals, 
meeting  the  plank,  leap  over  it  and  fall  into  the  boat.  Whether 
their  fatal  leap  is  prompted  by  fear  or  pleasure  I  have  never 
been  able  to  decide.  Crossing  the  Ningpo  River,  I  once  saw 
a  fine  large  carp  throw  itself  into  the  ferry-boat.  To  me  it 
appealed  a  piece  of  good  fortune,  but  the  boatman  anathema- 
tized it  furiously.  He  was  sure  that  some  member  of  his  fam- 
ily was  going  to  die.  "  For  why  should  that  kind  of  fish  offer 
itself  if  there  was  not  going  to  be  a  funeral?  "  he  added. 

In  a  Chinese  town,  on  the  stroke  of  9  p.m.,  a  chorus  resem- 
bling a  war-cry  is  heard  from  the  public  patrol,  mingled  with 
a  confused  racket  from  the  rattles  of  private  watchmen,  who 

begin  their  vigils  at  the 
same  moment.  From 
time  to  time  during  the 
night,  the  patrolmen  re- 
peat their  lugubrious 
yell ;  and  your  watch- 
man comes  to  your  win- 
dow and  discharges  a 
volley  of  blows  on  his 
hollow  bamboo  just  to 
let  you  know  that  he  is 
awake.  When  you  are 
away  from  home  vou 
may  be  spared  this  in- 
terruption to  your  slum- 
bers ;  but  as  your  win- 
dows are  of  paper,  with  no  shutters  in  summer,  you  may  wake 
to  I'md  yourself  iniiuis  a  portion  of  your  wardrobe. 

\\'lule  we  were  at   the  seaside,  Mr.  Russell  discovered  one 


I  \\v.  Ml, II I    v.w  i;i  'I.. 


VISITS   TO    THE  ISLANDS  119 

morning  that  his  trousers  had  disappeared.  In  the  afternoon, 
when  he  showed  himself  on  the  beach  in  a  pair  of  Dr.  Mac- 
gowan's,  the  travesty  of  long  and  short  was  most  amusing. 
Some  one  remarked  that  his  legs  were  longing  for  their  own 
garments  and  looking  out  for  them.  I  have  known  a  governor 
of  Hong  Kong  to  come  back  from  a  trip  to  the  Great  Wall 
clad  in  the  borrowed  habiliments  of  smaller  men,  and  feeling 
that  a  new  zest  had  been  given  to  his  excursion  by  his  experi- 
ences at  a  Chinese  inn. 

Beyond  Chusan,  to  the  east,  and  parted  from  it  by  a  nar- 
row channel,  Hes  the  sacred  isle  of  Puto.  Like  lona  in  early 
times,  and  Mount  Athos  at  the  present  day,  it  is  exclusively 
an  abode  of  monks,  no  native  woman  being  allowed  to  live 
there  on  any  pretext.  This  rule,  however,  is  not  enforced  in 
the  case  of  foreigners  ;  and,  taking  our  wives  and  children  with 
us,  we  sometimes  sought  refuge  there  from  the  heat  of  Ningpo. 
On  one  occasion  the  mercury  had  risen  to  106°  Fahrenheit  for 
three  days  in  succession  before  we  left  home. 

The  island,  which  is  nine  or  ten  miles  in  circumference,  rises 
to  the  height  of  three  thousand  feet,  in  a  noble  peak,  called 
Foiings/ian  ("the  Head  of  Buddha").  One  of  the  monasteries, 
situated  in  a  cove  with  a  fine  beach,  contains  a  hall  of  great 
height,  resting  on  pillars  wreathed  with  dragons.  These,  the 
priests  told  us,  were  taken  from  the  Palace  of  the  Nine  Dra- 
gons, at  Nanking,  being  sent  as  a  pious  offering  by  the  Emperor 
Yunglo  when  he  removed  his  court  to  the  North,  nearly  five 
hundred  years  ago. 

In  a  part  of  the  monastery  overlooking  the  sea  we  found 
lodgings,  in  an  apartment  where  there  was  a  large  image  of 
Kwanyin,  the  goddess  of  mercy,  the  favorite  divinity  of  the 
sacred  isle.  The  priests  permitted  us  to  throw  a  white  sheet 
over  the  head  of  the  idol  in  order  to  secure  our  privacy,  or, 
rather,  to  secularize  the  shrine.  They  were  very  accommo- 
dating, those  priests,  both  in  principle  and  in  practice.     One 


120  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

of  them  coming  to  see  me,  I  apologized  for  receiving  him  in 
our  dining-room,  especially  as  a  joint  of  meat  was  exposed  to 
view.  "  None  but  the  weak  are  offended  by  such  things,"  he 
sagely  replied.  "Things  are  not  as  they  appear.  We  know 
their  properties,  but  not  their  substance ;  which,  to  go  to  the 
bottom,  is  either  one  thing  or  nothing."  On  returning  the 
visit  of  this  philosophic  "  bonze,"  I  happened  to  admire  in  his 
room  a  gilded  Buddha,  which  he  at  once  took  from  its  glass 
case  and  presented  to  me,  accepting  a  dollar  in  return.  The 
case  contained  the  ashes  of  freshly  burned  incense. 

In  the  daytime  we  climbed  the  hills  or  bathed  in  the  surf, 
and  in  the  evening  inhaled  the  ocean  breeze  while  we  viewed 
the  phosphorescent  waves  breaking  on  the  .shore  in  long  bil- 
lows of  flame.  To  this  phenomenon^the  iinest  of  tlie  kind 
to  be  seen  in  this  part  of  the  world — Puto  owes  its  fame  as  a 
sacred  island.  It  gave  origin  and  color  to  a  legend  that  the 
goddess  of  mercy  was  seen  to  arrive  in  a  ship  of  fire,  burning 
but  unconsumed. 

On  the  further  side  of  the  mountain  is  an  abrupt  precipice 
overhanging  a  curious  cavity  made  by  the  action  of  the  waves. 
As  the  water  rushes  in  and  out  with  an  awful  roar,  it  is  be- 
lieved to  utter,  in  praise  of  Buddlia,  a  syllable  of  the  language 
of  Magadha,  and  is  therefore  called  Juiii  yiii  fti/ii^,  the  cave  of 
the  Pali  echo.  So  sacred  has  the  place  been  rendered  by  this 
fiction  that  it  has  become  a  favorite  resort  for  religious  mani- 
acs to  commit  suicide.  In  cases  of  severe  drought  it  is  not 
uncommon  for  some  one  to  offer  his  life  to  procure  rain  —  ful- 
filling his  vow  by  precipitating  himself  into  the  boiling  vf)rtcx. 
The  dragon-])ools  all  o\-er  the  empire  arc  scenes  of  sinn'Iar  sac- 
rifices ;  and  a  loftv  waterfall,  fi\-e  or  six  hundred  feet  in  heiglit, 
at  Snowy  Valley,  near  \ing|)o,  also  has  its  \-ictiins.  'i'liesc  are 
voluntary;  but  there  arc  still  traces  in  China  of  luurian  sacri- 
fices of  a  different  kind. 

\Vhen  a  Chinese  army  first  inarches  against  an  enemy,  it  is 


I'/S/TS    TO    THE   ISLANDS  I2l 

customary  to  offer  a  human  victim,  usually  a  criminal,  to  the 
spirit  of  the  banner.  In  1854,  when  a  rebel  stronghold  was 
taken  by  Sengkohnsin,  a  Mongol  prince,  the  prisoners  were 
offered  in  sacrifice  to  the  manes  of  his  fallen  soldiers — their 
hearts  being  eaten  by  the  victors  to  increase  their  courage. 
The  horrid  orgy  is  minutely  described  by  a  native  historian 
without  any  note  of  reprobation. 

Human  blood  is  held  to  be  the  best  cement  for  the  founda- 
tions of  high  structures.  There  are  numerous  bridges  whose 
stability  is  said  to  have  been  thus  secured ;  and  so  obstinate  is 
the  old  superstition  that,  when  an  English  cathedral  was  erected 
in  Shanghai,  it  was  rumored  among  the  natives  that  twenty 
children  had  been  buried  under  its  walls. 

Anciently,  it  was  customary  every  year  to  sacrifice  a  beauti- 
ful maiden  to  the  god  of  the  Yellow  River.  The  rite,  which 
was  called  tlie  bridal  of  the  river-god,  was  celebrated  with 
great  pomp  and  believed  to  protect  the  country  from  devas- 
tating floods.  Tlie  practice  was  al)olished,  however,  before 
the  beginning  of  our  era,  a  wise  magistrate  liaving  thrown  the 
priestesses  into  the  river,  declaring  that  no  others  could  be  so 
acceptable  to  the  deity.  About  the  same  time,  the  Duke  of 
Wei  dying,  his  widow^  was  bent  on  having  slaves  immolated 
on  his  tomb.  The  duke's  brother,  who  had  enjoved  the  per- 
sonal teachings  of  Confucius,  said  to  her  that  as  she  was  the 
favorite  of  his  Highness  she  might  immolate  herself,  but  that 
no  slave  should  be  slain.  She  declined  the  honor,  and  the 
"  grand  custom,"  as  it  is  called  in  Daliomev,  ceased.  When 
a  wife  commits  suicide  on  the  death  of  her  husband  she  is 
praised  as  a  model  of  virtue  ;  and  I  have  heard  of  two  recent 
cases  of  the  old  Indian  practice  of  suttee,  or  widow-burning — 
one  at  Fuchau,  the  other  at  Wenchau. 

In  1855  our  enjoyment  of  Puto  was  cut  short  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  pirates.  The  Chusan  Archipelago  was  always 
more  or  less  infested  by  them  :   and  on  our  way  out  we  had 


122  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

seen  a  band  of  them  at  a  village  on  a  neighboring  island,  giv- 
ing a  theatrical  entertainment  to  the  gods  as  a  thank-offering 
for  their  success  in  capturing  a  sugar-junk. 

Leaving  our  families  on  the  island,  my  friend  Russell  and 
I  returned  to  Ningpo,  to  send  colporteurs  to  Hangchau  with 
books  for  distribution  at  the  provincial  examination.  This 
done,  we  were  setting  out  for  Puto,  when  a  British  merchant 
offered  us  arms  to  use  in  case  of  attack.  We  declined  the 
weapons,  convinced  that  we  should  be  safer  unarmed.  Stop- 
ping in  the  harbor  of  Chusan  to  wait  for  a  change  of  tide,  we 
saw  fifteen  jiiratical  junks  pass  in  front  of  us.  firing  a  few  shots 
of  defiance  at  some  of  the  war-junks  that  lay  at  anchor.  These 
made  a  show  of  pursuit,  but  soon  returned  to  their  moorings. 
As  we  were  sailing  in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  of  the  pirate 
fleet,  we  supposed  the  coast  to  be  clear,  and  so  proceeded  on 
our  way. 

At  our  evening  devotions,  I  read  the  first  passage  my  eye 
fell  on.  It  was  in  the  fourteenth  of  John  :  "  Peace  1  leave  with 
you,  my  })eace  I  give  unto  you :  not  as  the  world  gi\'eth,  give 
I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid."  Remarking  how  suitable  these  comforting  words 
were  to  our  circumstances,  I  spoke  of  the  prevalence  of 
piracv  as  well  as  of  other  unseen  dangers,  adding  that  "  the 
world's  peace  consists  in  safely  of  body  ;  that  which  Christ  gives, 
in  tranf[uillitv  of  soul."  Russell  followed  with  an  extempora- 
neous jtraver,  in  which  he  commended  us  to  the  safe-keej)ing 
of  a  faithful  Ciod. 

Cioing  on  deck,  as  we  approached  a  narrow  channel  wc  saw 
many  lights  dancing  over  the  surface  of  the,  water,  and  heard 
an  (')C(asional  discharge  of  small  arms.  In  a  solitary  jdace  this 
looked  sus[)i('ious  ;  and  the  next  moment  we  percei\x'(l  through 
the  twilight  the  outline  of  se\-en  large  Canton  junks  lying  at 
anrlior.  \\\-  pursued  our  course,  hoping  to  pass  them  unob- 
served ;  but  when  we  were  just  abreast  of  the  fleet,  a  boat  was 


VISITS   TO    THE  ISIANDS  123 

lowered  from  the  side  of  one  of  the  junks  and  gave  chase. 
The  wind  had  fallen,  and  we  were  soon  overtaken.  Springing 
on  board,  the  pirates  began  beating  our  sailors  to  compel  them 
to  slacken  sail.  Turning  to  us,  they  said,  Pu  pa^pu  pa  ("You 
have  nothing  to  fear  "). 

Our  boat  was  lashed  to  the  side  of  a  large  junk,  and  the  free- 
booters made  free  with  our  fresh  provisions — the  only  booty 
they  found  in  our  possession.  The  pirates  were  evidently  dis- 
appointed. "Who  are  you,"  they  asked,  "that  you  have  no 
goods?  As  you  have  no  opium,  you  are  not  merchants;  and 
as  you  have  no  firearms,  you  are  not  soldiers ;  who  and  what 
are  you?  "  "  We  are  missionaries,"  we  quietly  replied,  "  Mis- 
sionaries!" exclaimed  a  handsome  young  man,  whom  we  rec- 
ognized as  the  leader  of  the  prize  crew.  "  You  preach  about 
Jesus — you  are  good  men;  we  will  not  hurt  you."  He  then 
told  us  that  he  had  been  in  a  mission  chapel  at  Whampo,  near 
Canton,  and  there  heard  missionaries  preach  the  gospel.  Be- 
coming communicative,  he  added  that  he  and  his  party,  thrown 
out  of  business  by  the  outbreak  of  rebellion,  had  been  forced 
to  take  to  the  sea.  "  It  was  a  bad  business,"  he  knew,  "  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it." 

In  searching  our  persons  for  money,  of  which  they  found 
very  little,  they  had  stripped  off  my  coat  and  taken  away  Rus- 
sell's shoes  and  watch.  My  own  watch,  or  rather  my  wife's,  I 
had  taken  off  and  left  at  home,  not  wishing  to  risk  the  loss  of 
an  object  which  she  held  precious.  Observing  me  in  my  shirt- 
sleeves, the  young  leader  pointed  to  Russell  and  asked  if  we 
were  not  "all  the  same"?  "Oh  yes,"  said  I;  "but  one  of 
"^'owx  fokccs  ["pals"]  has  carried  my  coat  away."  The  young 
man  left  us  and  in  a  moment  came  back  with  the  coat.  The 
shoes,  too,  were  restored,  but  not  the  watch ;  which,  however, 
was  brought  to  the  owner  for  an  explanation  of  the  mode  of 
winding  and  setting. 

The  young  robber  left  us  to  our  meditations  with  the  en- 


1^4  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT// AY 

couraging  assurance  that  he  would  set  us  at  liberty  the  next 
day.  We,  however,  put  httle  faith  in  his  promise,  as  he  was 
not  commander  of  the  fleet,  but  only  of  the  gang  that  captured 
us.  We  passed  the  night  without  sleeping,  thinking  sadly  of 
our  families,  who  were  expecting  our  return.  Apart  from  such 
thoughts,  sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  as  squad  after  squad 
of  sea-robbers,  like  fresh  swarms  of  flies,  kept  coming  to  our 
boat  all  night,  being  either  drawn  by  curiosity  or  attracted  by 
the  fresh  stores  we  had  laid  in  for  family  use.  At  daylight 
these  were  succeeded  by  a  party  of  carpenters  who  commenced 
rigging  up  an  additional  deck,  and  piercing  the  sides  with  port- 
holes for  guns.  Approaching  one  of  them,  a  hard-visaged 
wretch,  I  asked  him  what  that  meant,  reminding  him  that  the 
captain  had  promised  to  let  us  go.  He  replied  by  drawing 
his  hand  across  his  throat  and  pointing  to  the  water.  At  this 
demonstration  we  felt  that  our  end  was  near,  and  naturally 
had  little  appetite  for  breakfast,  even  if  we  had  had  anything 
to  eat.  In  this  extremity  the  promise  we  had  read  from  the 
gospel  recurred  to  us,  and  the  "peace  of  God,  that  passeth  all 
understanding,"  kept  our  hearts  and  minds. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  young  leader  came  with  his  crew 
to  take  possession  of  his  prize.  As  they  were  spreading  out 
their  provisions  in  preparation  for  breakfast,  he  kindly  inquired 
if  we  had  taken  ours.  "Not  yet,"  we  rei)lied ;  "but  we  shall 
have  some  tea  made,"  we  added,  with  a  sense  of  relief.  Ofi"cr- 
ing  him  a  cup  —  the  only  thing  we  had  to  offer — he  pronounced 
it  f)f  bad  quality,  and  sent  to  fetch  a  box  which  he  said  was 
better.  We,  of  course,  [)raisc(l  the  flavor  of  his  tea,  and  he,  with 
Eastern  politeness,  made  us  a  ])resent  of  the  box.  Reassured 
l)y  this  friendly  act  that  our  lives  were  in  no  immediate  dan- 
ger, tliough  we  thought  it  j)n)b;il)le  we  should  be  held  to  ran- 
som, we  ventured  to  remind  him  of  his  ])romise  to  let  us  go. 
"  So  I  will,"  he  answered.  "  'I'hen  wliy  are  you  making  altera- 
tions in  our  boat?"  we  asked.      "  Ik-cause  I  have  use  for  it," 


VISITS    TO    THE  ISLANDS  125 

he  replied.  "  I  took  another  boat  last  night  smaller  than  this ; 
you  shall  have  that  instead."  Ordering  the  boat  referred  to, 
which  had  only  one  boatman,  while  ours  had  six,  to  come 
alongside,  he  put  us  in  possession  of  it.  Giving  us  a  jar  of 
wine  as  a  parting  present,  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  heart  and 
waved  us  adieu,  promising  to  call  and  see  us  at  our  lodgings 
on  shore. 

The  pirates  did,  in  fact,  go  on  shore,  but  they  did  not  find 
their  way  to  our  monastery.  If  they  had  they  would  have 
found  our  rooms  deserted ;  for,  hearing  of  their  landing  and 
not  caring  to  renew  the  acquaintance,  we  took  our  wives  and 
children  and  hid  ourselves  among  the  rocks.  The  sequel  of 
the  story  is  soon  told.  The  pirates  were  liable  to  repeat  their 
visit  at  any  moment,  and  we  thought  it  prudent  to  regain  the 
mainland  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  first  to  leave  the  island  was  INIr.  Cobbold.  Entering  the 
channel  where  our  adventure  occurred,  he  was  horror-struck 
to  see  several  of  the  pirates  still  anchored  there.  To  retreat  w^as 
as  perilous  as  to  advance.  He  and  his  wife  and  children,  ac- 
cordingly, threw  themselves  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
and  the  boatman,  who  was  a  fisherman,  covering  them  with 
his  nets,  they  passed  the  danger  unperceived.  The  rest  of  us 
followed  soon  after  without  waiting  to  hear  from  Cobbold,  but 
by  this  time,  happily,  the  pirates  were  gone. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  we  communicated  with  H.  M.  S. 
"  Bittern,"  Captain  Vansittart  in  command,  who  started  in  pur- 
suit of  the  pirates  in  tow  of  a  Chinese  steamer.  Tracking  them 
to  Shipu,he  found  their  w^hole  force  of  thirty-seven  heavy  junks 
waiting  the  attack  in  a  nan'ow  inlet.  In  men  and  metal  they 
much  outnumbered  their  assailants,  but  science  tells  in  such 
encounters.  The  Englishman  shelled  them  at  a  safe  distance, 
setting  their  junks  on  fire,  when  most  of  the  pirates  escaped  to 
the  shore.  Our  boat  was  identified  by  a  letter  found  in  the 
cabin  bearing  my  wife's  address.     Not  only  was  it  exempted 


126 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


from  the  general  destruction,  but  its  captain  was  permitted  to 
carry  away  a  cargo  of  spoils,  as  compensation  for  what  he 
and  his  men  had  suffered.  Of  the  generous  young  leader  to 
whom  we  owed  our  lives  we  never  heard  again  ;  and,  as  steam- 
ers have  now  become  numerous  in  these  waters,  no  such  i)irat- 
ical  fleet  has  since  that  day  been  seen  on  the  coast  of  China. 


A    iu:l)l>nisl     MO.SK     l;l.AIIN(,    A     WdolJl;-,     DlvCM. 


CHAPTER    IX 


THE    TAIPING    REBELLION 


On  the  Great  River — A  modern  Mohammed — Mixed  Christianity  — For- 
eign opposition  —  A  questionable  policy 

A  REBELLION  that  succeeds  is  never  forgotten,  having 
for  its  monument  the  state  or  dynasty  to  which  it  gives 
birth.  All  others  are  consigned  to  the  limbo  of  abortions.  To 
this  law  of  destiny  the  movement  headed  by  Kossuth  in  Hun- 
gary, and  that  which  came  so  near  unbinding  our  own  sheaf 
of  arrows,  are  no  exceptions.  Nor  is  that  of  the  Taipings, 
which,  after  rolling  its  sanguinary  flood  over  more  than  half  the 
provinces  of  China,  and  threatening  to  overthrow  her  ancient 
paganism  along  with  her  Tartar  rulers,  was  suppressed  by  for- 
eign intervention.  Yet  it  deserves  to  be  remembered,  if  only 
for  the  peculiar  spirit  by  which  its  leaders  were  animated.  I 
watched  its  waxing  and  waning  Avith  the  deepest  interest; 
came  in  contact  with  active  agents  on  both  sides ;  and  at  least 
endeavored  to  exert  some  influence  on  the  course  of  events. 

The  INIanchu  dynasty  now  on  the  throne  has  been,  take  it 
all  in  all,  the  best  link  in  the  long  succession ;  yet  the  Chinese 
have  never  been  quite  reconciled  to  a  foreign  domination. 
Tartar  prestige  was  destroyed  by  the  successes  of  the  English 
in  the  so-called  opium  war,  and  latent  discontent  began  to 
show  itself  in  various  quarters.  In  1852,  just  ten  years  after 
the  Treaty  of  Nanking,  the  world  was  electrified  by  the  news 

127 


128  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

that  a  body  of  native  Christians,  goaded  to  revolt  by  official 
persecution,  had  placed  themsehes  at  the  head  of  the  malcon- 
tents and  were  leading  them  on  to  victory.  Starting  among 
the  mountains  of  the  extreme  South,  their  chief,  Hung  Siu 
Chuen,  asserted  a  claim  to  the  throne  when  his  followers  were 
only  a  handful.  Leaving  his  rocky  fastnesses,  he  had  the 
courage  to  face  imperial  armies  in  the  open  plain.  These  he 
either  defeated  or  evaded,  and  without  wasting  time  in  sitting 
down  before  any  walled  city  which  he  might  fail  to  take  by 
assault,  he  pushed  on  to  the  North,  with  growing  forces,  until 
he  struck  the  Great  River  at  the  famous  mart  of  Hankow,  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  sea. 

Till  then  Hung  had  been  reported  to  the  throne  as  in  full 
retreat,  while  the  government  troops  were  in  hot  pursuit ;  but 
he  grew  stronger  by  defeat,  and  his  flight  was  always  to  the 
North.  Capturing  Hankow  and  the  two  neighboring  cities, 
he  freighted  a  thousand  junks  with  their  .spoils,  and  swept 
down  the  river  like  a  winter  flood,  until  he  reached  Nanking, 
the  southern  capital.  'J'his  and  not  Peking  he  made  his  objec- 
tive point,  because  Hungwu,  who  expelled  the  INIongols  and' 
founded  the  nati\e  dynasty  of  Ming  in  1388,  had  made  it  the 
seat  of  his  government.  A  better  reason  would  have  been  its 
natural  advantages,  h;id  he  known  how  to  profit  by  them,  as 
the  most  commanding  site  for  the  caj)ital  of  the  empire. 
Nanking  fell  after  a  brief  investment,  and  the  Manchu  garri- 
son of  twentv-five  thousand  were  butchered  to  a  man.  'J'he 
rich  cities  of  Yangchau  and  Cliinkiang,  with  others  of  less 
note  in  the  vicinity,  became  an  easy  j)rey. 

Seated  in  tlie  palace  of  the  old  Ming  emperors,  the  first  half 
of  I  lung's  miglity  undertaking  was  accomplished.  History 
jiresc-nts  few  ]»agfs  more  ])rilliant  than  this  jiart  of  his  career. 
Sherman's  ni;irc]i  to  the  sea  must  be  combined  with  Garibaldi's 
su(re^>ful  assault  on  tlie  kingdom  of  Naples,  Ixicked  by  only 
a  thcnisand  men,  t<j  furnish  an  adet|uate  parallel.      Haj)i)y  for 


THE    TAIPIXG  REBELLION  129 

him  had  he,  like  Garibaldi,  found  a  Cavour  to  convert  his 
insurrection  into  a  revolution ! 

The  fall  of  the  old  capital  into  the  hands  of  any  body  of 
insurgents  would  have  been  matter  of  grave  concern  for  the 
whole  world  ;  but  when  those  insurgents  were  known  to  be 
Christians — not  simply  fighting  for  empire,  but  carrying  on  a 
crusade  against  the  paganism  of  their  country — the  excite- 
ment knew  no  bounds.  Merchants  began  to  speculate  as  to 
the  effect  of  their  success  on  trade ;  missionaries  discussed  its 
probable  bearings  on  the  propagation  of  the  faith ;  and  diplo- 
matists—  the  only  class  who  were  free  to  investigate  for  them- 
selves— sought  the  earliest  opportunity  for  ascertaining  the 
facts  by  a  visit  to  Nanking. 

I  too  resolved  to  see  for  myself,  though  I  had  no  man-of-war 
to  wait  on  me  or  national  flag  to  float  over  my  head.  Young 
and  ardent,  the  dangers  of  the  attempt  but  served  to  render 
it  more  fascinating.  Accompanied  by  a  native  Christian,  I 
took  passage  in  a  small  coasting-vessel,  and  we  encountered  a 
storm,  which  compelled  us  for  a  time  to  seek  shelter  among  the 
islands.  At  Shanghai  I  hired  a  native  junk  and  purchased  a 
skiff ;  the  former  to  carry  me  as  far  as  the  imperial  squadron 
below  Chinkiang,  the  latter  to  enable  me  to  run  the  blockade 
and  enter  the  rebel  lines.  These  preparations  were  made  with 
the  utmost  secrecy,  the  American  minister  having  forbidden 
his  countrymen  to  hold  communication  with  the  rebels ;  and 
to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  United  States  marshal,  I  put  to 
sea  from  Woosung  in  a  thunder-storm. 

After  a  rough  night,  in  passing  from  one  river  to  the  other 
we  found  ourselves  abreast  the  island  of  Dzungming,  a  place 
that  deserves  mention  as  one  of  the  curiosities  of  geography. 
Thirty  miles  in  length,  incomparably  fertile,  smiling  with  rice- 
fields  and  vegetable  gardens,  interspersed  with  the  habitations 
of  six  hundred  thousand  souls,  and  forming  by  itself  an  ad- 
ministrative district  of  no  small  importance,  it  is  the  youngest 


130  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

birth  of  the  sea.  The  precise  date  of  its  emergence  is  impos- 
sible to  fix.  That  occurrence,  liowever,  was  accepted  as  an 
otfset  for  the  subsidence  of  another  locahty,  and  made  suffi- 
cient imj)ression  on  the  pul)hc  mind  to  give  rise  to  a  proverb 
for  unexpected  comj)ensations :  "  Down  goes  Tungking ;  up 
comes  Uzungming."  The  name,  if  not  the  event,  dates  from 
the  Ming  period,  which  began  in  the  fourteenth  century.  As 
soon  as  a  few  thrifty  peasants  got  a  foothold,  they  fortified 
their  position  by  embankments  in  such  a  way  as  to  protect 
their  fields  from  erosion,  and  to  encourage  the  turl)id  waters 
to  deposit  tliere  the  alluvium  brought  from  distant  mountains. 
Thus  have  nature  and  man  wrought  together,  creating  a  new 
physical  feature  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

During  the  night  my  skiflf  had  gone  adrift,  but  I  counted 
on  obtaining  another  near  mv  destination.  After  working  our 
way  against  the  current  for  two  days,  we  reached  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Chinkiang,  which  commands  the  transit  of  the  (Irand 
Canal.  There  we  saw  war-junks  at  anchor,  and  imperial  bat- 
teries on  shore.  Being  hailed  from  a  batterv,  I  ordered  my 
boatmen  to  give  no  heed  to  the  summons,  but  to  hold  on  our 
way  on  the  further  side  of  the  stream,  and  trust  to  its  width  for 
protection  against  any  chance  shot  that  miglit  be  sent  after  us. 
Instead  of  a  shot  a  l)oat  came  in  pursuit,  and,  having  many 
oars,  it  soon  f)\-ertook  us.  Leaping  aboard,  the  soldiers  began 
to  handle  our  boatmen  rouglilv  for  their  disobedience;  but 
when  I  showed  mvself  thev  desisted,  and  retired  without  ask- 
ing a  ([uestion,  taking  me  for  one  of  the  foreign  officers  in  the 
imj)erial  fleet. 

If  thev  had  taken  the  trouble  to  search,  they  might  have 
found  on  inv  person  a  conijiromising  document  —  nothing  less, 
indeed,  than  a  letter  tendering  in\-  ser\ices  to  ilic  rebel  chief. 
No  ^o()Ile^  were  tlu-ir  backs  turned  than  I  pmnipth-  (lestro_\'ed 
it,  not  choosing  to  hazard  di>co\-er\-  in  parsing  the  next  en- 
campment.     Ascending  a  few  miles  farther,  J   endeavored  to 


THE    TAIPIXG  REBELLION  131 

induce  fishermen  to  carry  me  to  the  rebel  outposts;  but  tliey 
refused  to  incur  the  risk  at  any  price,  being  in  danger  from 
both  parties.  My  own  boatmen  refused  for  the  same  reason. 
After  lying  concealed  all  day  in  the  high  reeds,  I  reluctantly 
gave  the  word  to  drop  down  the  stream,  under  cover  of  night, 
to  avoid  another  visit  from  the  batteries.  We  were  hailed  as 
before,  but,  owing  to  the  darkness,  not  pursued.  A  greater 
danger  was  encountered  farther  on.  On  shore  a  flambeau  was 
waved  to  attract  our  attention,  and  a  voice  warned  us  not  to 
proceed,  as  there  were  "pirates  in  the  offing."  "  More  likely 
the  pirates  are  on  shore,"  I  said  to  my  boatmen  ;  and  dropping 
anchor  at  a  safe  distance  from  both,  we  waited  for  day,  when, 
resuming  our  course,  we  reached  Shanghai  without  further 
molestation.  My  attempt  to  visit  the  rebel  headquarters  with 
no  other  means  at  my  disposal  was  certainly  foolhardy,  and 
well  it  was  that  it  failed.  There  are  few  men  who  have  not 
reason,  if  they  but  knew  it,  to  thank  God  for  failure  as  well 
as  for  success. 

In  the  humor  in  which  the  insurgents  then  were — flushed 
with  victory  and  wild  with  fanaticism — no  foreigner  could 
have  exerted  any  beneficial  influence.  To  them  the  restraints 
of  morality  were  as  flax  in  the  flames ;  and  what  purpose 
would  it  serve  to  attempt  to  mould  the  theology  of  a  people 
who  received  revelations  from  Heaven? 

Two  years  later  a  missionary  did  succeed  in  reaching  the 
rebel  camp,  one  whose  prestige  was  unique,  the  Rev.  Issachar 
Roberts,  of  Canton.  From  him  in  earher  days  the  chief  had 
received  religious  instruction ;  he  was  now  invited  to  aid  him 
in  the  enlightenment  of  his  people.  It  was  a  splendid  oppor- 
tunity, but  no  good  came  of  it.  Was  it  owing  to  inveterate 
corruption  in  the  insurgents,  or  to  want  of  tact  and  breadth  in 
Roberts,  or  to  both?  ^^'as  it  because  he  sought  to  curb  their 
thirst  for  blood  and  plunder?  Or  did  he  give  offense  by  seeking 
to  induce  them  to  adopt  immersion  and  abandon  the  new  mode 


13^  A    CYCL^   OF' CATHAY 

of  baptism  which  they  had  invented  for  themselves?  —  viz.,  the 
washing  of  the  bosom  with  a  towel  dipped  in  water,  in  token 
of  cleansing  the  heart?  However  this  may  be,  he  soon  quar- 
reled with  his  catechumen  and  had  to  fly  for  his  life. 

Unsuccessful  in  my  attempt  to  observe  for  myself,  I  was 
fortunate  in  meeting  with  natives  who  had  been  among  the  in- 
surgents. One  of  these,  a  Ningpo  man,  had  been  pressed  into 
the  rebel  ranks  at  Chinkiang.  He  had  fought  many  a  battle, 
with  government  guns  in  front  and  rebel  spears  behind.  He 
had  suffered  from  hunger  and  cold ;  and,  tired  of  an  existence 
as  monotonous  as  it  was  hopeless,  he  seized  the  first  chance 
of  escape.  Though  himself  something  of  a  poltroon,  he  bore 
strong  testimony  to  the  confidence  and  courage  of  the  original 
Taipings.  Believing  in  the  divine  mission  of  their  leader,  the 
rebel  army  never  despaired,  even  in  the  midst  of  disaster. 
Once  they  were  cut  off  from  communication  with  Nanking, 
and  reduced  to  extremities — the  Tartar  general,  who  was  also 
governor  of  the  province,  directing  his  whole  force  to  the  re- 
duction of  Chinkiang,  as  a  woodman  cuts  the  roots  to  fell  a 
tree.  Messenger  after  messenger  had  been  sent  to  Nanking 
for  succor ;  but  there  was  no  response.  At  length,  when  it 
seemed  as  if  they  could  hold  out  no  longer,  a  veteran  ofl^cer 
volunteered  to  make  a  supreme  effort  to  elude  the  besiegers 
and  obtain  relief.  "  If,"  said  he,  "  I  am  successful  in  reach- 
ing our  chief,  and  if  he  jiromises  succor,  you  will  learn  it  by 
seeing  a  quantity  of  charcoal  coming  down  with  the  current." 
How  cagerlv  they  kept  tlicir  eyes  on  the  broad  river!  How 
their  hearts  leaped  when,  on  the  third  day,  they  saw  the  ex- 
pected signal!  Those  floating  coals  kindled  their  hopes  anew  ; 
and,  making  a  determined  sortie  to  meet  the  reinforcements 
from  Nanking,  the  imperial  cam[)  was  attacked  on  both  sides, 
the  governor  was  slain,  his  troops  were  scattered,  and  the  siege 
was  raised. 

'Hiis  was  a  typical  ineidcnt,  such  as  occurred  many  times ; 


THE    TAIPING  REBELLION  133 

the  rebels,  when  driven  to  their  last  ditch,  gathering  courage 
from  despair  and  winning  a  brilliant  victory.  Of  their  religious 
usages,  so  strange  and  novel  in  the  eyes  of  Chinese,  I  had 
learned  something  from  other  sources  ;  but  it  was  intensely  in- 
teresting to  hear  this  young  man  tell  how  their  chief  styled 
himself  younger  brother  to  Jesus  Christ,  caUed  God  his  Father, 
published  the  ten  commandments,  and  imposed  on  all  his  sub- 
jects the  observance  of  a  Sabbath  day,  on  which  their  highest 
officers  ascended  the  pulpit  and  thundered  against  idolatry 
and  the  Tartars. 

The  stoppage  of  trade  throughout  the  vast  region  exposed 
to  their  incursions,  and  their  stringent  prohibition  of  opium, 
created  a  prejudice  against  them  in  a  mercantile  community ; 
and  foreign  ministers  were  disposed  to  favor  any  form  of  in- 
terference for  the  suppression  of  what  they  regarded  as  a  horde 
of  brigands.  At  this  juncture  I  published  a  series  of  letters  ad- 
dressed to  Caleb  Cushing,  showing  that  in  rapine  and  cruelty 
the  Taipings  only  conformed  to  the  historic  type  of  Chinese 
revolutionary  bodies ;  that  in  the  principles  they  professed  lay 
the  germ  of  a  new  order  of  things,  such  as  it  would  be  vain  to 
expect  from  a  superannuated  dynasty  running  in  the  grooves 
of  precedent ;  but  asking  for  them  nothing  more  than  the 
observance  of  a  strict  neutrality.  Those  letters,  it  was  said, 
changed  the  current  of  opinion,  and  delayed  the  day  of  inter- 
vention ;  but  it  came  nevertheless,  and  it  sealed  the  fate  of  the 
Taiping  dynasty.  The  suppression  of  a  revolution  by  force  ah 
extra  always  reverses  the  wheels  of  progress ;  and  in  this  in- 
stance who  can  tell  by  how  many  centuries  it  has  postponed 
the  adoption  of  Christianity  by  the  Chinese  people? 

While  it  is  true  that  nothing  but  the  active  aid  of  foreign- 
ers saved  the  Manchu  government  at  more  than  one  critical 
moment  in  the  course  of  this  long  conflict,  it  is  equally  certain 
that  the  ignorance  of  the  rebel  chief  is  primarily  responsible  for 
his  disastrous  failure.     Confident  in  his  destiny,  and  following 


134  -/    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

the  example  of  Hungwu,  he  contented  himself  with  sending 
an  expedition  into  the  northern  provinces,  in  utter  neglect  of 
the  sea-coast  with  its  ports  of  trade.  He  was  not  aware  how 
much  the  conditions  of  success  had  altered.  Above  all,  he 
failed  to  perceive  that  the  casting  vote  for  the  occupant  of  the 
dragon  throne  was  in  the  hands  of  merchants  from  the  West. 
Instead  of  descending  promptly  to  Shanghai,  where  he  might 
have  strengthened  himself  by  the  resources  of  commerce  and 
by  foreign  munitions  of  war,  he  left  these  advantages  to  his 
enemy.  'I'o  both  parties  Shanghai  proved  to  be  the  pivot  of 
destiny. 

This  man,  who  came  so  near  playing  a  magnificent  role,  was 
named,  as  we  have  said,  Hung  Siu  Chuen,  a  native  of  Hwahien, 
in  the  Canton  province.  In  early  youth  he  had  aspired  to  liter- 
ary honors,  and  had  gone  to  Canton  to  compete  for  them.  While 
there  he  met  with  Liangafa,  a  native  evangelist,  a  di.sciple  of 
Morrison,  and  received  from  his  hands  a  tract  which  made  a 
deep  impression  on  his  mind.  In  this  tract  the  name  used  for 
God  was  Shangti  ("Supreme  Ruler"),  a  title  to  which  the 
ancient  Chinese  had  always  attached  their  highest  ideas  of  the 
Supreme  Being.  The  new  creed  under  an  old  name  took  pos- 
session of  his  whole  soul,  and  he  Ijegan  to  propagate  it.  Feel- 
ing the  need  of  further  instruction,  he  again  repaired  to  Canton, 
at  a  distance  of  several  hundred  nn'lcs,  in  (juest  of  a  mission- 
ary. There  he  was  received  into  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Issa- 
rhar  Roberts,  an  .American  Baptist.  He  (lejjarted,  however, 
without  the  rite  r)f  l)aptism  ;  and  when  he  introduced  tlie  rite 
among  his  followers  it  was  neither  immersion  nor  s{)rinkliiig, 
but,  as  abo\-e  descril)cd,  a  ffrfiuni  t/i/id,  not  less  expressive. 

At  tliat  time  Hung  seemed  to  have  formed  no  pfjlitical  de- 
signs, and  failed  to  impress  liis  instructor  bv  anv  verv  remark- 
able (jualily,  unless  tliat  of  earnestness.  His  earnestness  proved 
contagions.  ,'\  comjianvof  believers  was  soon  gathered;  and 
in  teaching  them,  he,  like  Mohammed,  supplemented  existing 


THE    TAIPIXG   RKBELUOX  135 

texts  by  fresh  revelations.  Persecution,  which  never  sleeps  in 
a  country  where  every  departure  from  tradition  is  heresy,  drove 
these  unoffending  believers  to  self-defense.  Their  first  victory 
transformed  them  into  a  political  faction.  Other  factions, 
already  in  arms,  were  absorbed,  the  leader  accepting  their  aid 
on  condition  of  their  adopting  the  new  faith.  From  this  point, 
or  perhaps  from  the  hour  of  his  conversion,  Hung's  career  con- 
forms so  closely  to  that  of  the  Arabian  prophet  that  he  might 
be  suspected  of  taking  him  for  his  model,  were  it  not  certain 
that  he  was  totally  unacquainted  with  the  history  of  IMoham- 
med.  Like  causes  produce  like  effects.  Like  Mohammed, 
Hung  derived  his  first  impulse  from  Christianity,  with  which 
he  blended  somediing  of  Old  Testament  Judaism  ;  and,  like 
him,  he  shaped  his  teachings  to  suit  the  habits  of  his  people. 

He  sanctioned  robbery  and  violence,  and  himself  set  the  ex- 
ample of  polygamy,  an  example  eagerly  followed  by  his  sub- 
ordinates, who  had  no  scruple  in  filling  their  harems  with  the 
wives  and  daughters  of  their  enemies.  His  camp,  like  that  of 
Moses  in  the  wilderness,  was  a  school  of  religion.  Each  com- 
pany chanted  a  hymn  as  they  sat  down  to  meat;  and  every 
seventh  day  (the  seventh  being  observed  by  mistake  instead 
of  the  first)  his  captains  ascended  the  pulpit  and  preached 
long  sermons,  in  which  the  possession  of  an  earthly  king- 
dom was  made  more  prominent  than  the  joys  of  a  heavenly 
paradise. 

Hung  distributed  among  them  manuals  composed  by  him- 
self, which,  to  aid  the  memory,  were  mostly  in  verse,  some  of 
them  replete  with  Scripture  truth,  others  full  of  extravagant 
fancies.  Here  are  a  few  specimens  of  both.  \\\  an  "  Ode  for 
Youth  "  he  says  : 

"  Let  the  true  God,  the  great  Supreme  Ruler, 
Be  honored  and  adored  l)y  all  nations  ; 
Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world 
Unite  in  his  worship  morning  and  evening." 


136  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

"  Above  and  below,  look  where  you  may, 
All  things  are  imbued  with  the  divine  favor ; 
All  things  were  created  in  six  days,  perfect  and  complete." 

"Jesus,  his  first-born  Son, 
Was  in  former  times  sent  by  God ; 
He  willingly  gave  his  life  to  redeem  us  from  sin ; 
After  his  resurrection  he  ascended  to  heaven ; 
Resplendent  in  glory,  he  wields  authority  supreme." 

"  Honor  and  shame  come  from  one's  self." 

"  Keep  the  ten  commandments, 
And  enjoy  bliss  in  heaven." 

In  contrast  to  these  pure  doctrines,  we  have  the  following 
in  another  book  of  verse : 

"  He  [the  Chief]  was  received  up  into  heaven. 
Where  the  great  God  personally  instructed  him, 
Gave  him  odes  and  documents. 
With  a  seal  and  sword. 
And  majesty  irresistible. 

The  celestial  Mother  was  kind  and  exceedingly  gracious ; 
The  celestial  Elder  Brother's  wife  was  virtuous  and  prudent." 

In  a  "  Book  of  Decrees  "  we  read : 

"  The  great  God  said,  on  the  top  of  Kaolao  Hill 
There  is  a  pencil  in  the  form  of  a  cross  ; 
Pray,  and  you  will  get  a  response." 

Not  only  does  Hung  take  "  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,"  of 
the  Apocalypse  in  a  literal  sense;  Chinese  dualism  and  his 
own  sense  of  symmetry  incline  him  to  give  a  consort  to  the 
Heavenly  Father.  He  had  never  heard  of  Mormonism,  but 
his  reasoning  is  that  of  the  Mormon  hymn  : 

"  In  the  heavens  are  parents  single  ? 

No!  the  thought  makes  reason  stare; 


THE    TAIPING  REBELLION  137 

Truth  is  reason— truth  eternal 

Tells  me  I've  a  Mother  there  " — 

not  a  deceased  parent,  but  the  "eternal  feminine." 

In  the  "  pencil  in  the  form  of  a  cross,"  he  appropriates  and 
Christianizes  a  well-known  Taoist  mode  of  divination  called 
fulan*  Special  revelations  were,  however,  mostly  received 
through  Yang,  his  prime  minister,  as  a  spiritualistic  me- 
dium. The  door  was  thus  opened  to  unlimited  corruption  and 
imposture. 

Once,  when  Hung  had  broken  some  of  the  regulations 
which  he  had  promulgated  as  laws  of  God,  he  signified  a 
wish  to  make  expiation.  The  premier  irrimediately  went  into 
a  cataleptic  fit ;  and  in  that  hypnotic  condition,  personating  the 
Heavenly  Father,  ordered  his  Majesty  to  receive  forty  blows 
of  the  bamboo. 

The  Taipings,  like  the  revolutionists  of  France,  to  borrow 
the  words  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  "  changed  everything — from 
the  rites  of  religion  to  the  fashion  of  a  shoe-buckle."  They 
changed  the  style  of  dress,  and  ordained  that  instead  of  shav- 
ing the  head,  which  is  a  mark  of  subjection  to  the  Manchus, 
their  adherents  should  let  their  hair  grow.  This  caused  them 
to  be  stigmatized  as  "long-haired  robbers."  They  altered,  in 
many  instances,  the  orthography  of  the  Chinese  language  ;  e.g., 
writing  the  word  for  "  soul  "  with  a  radical  for  "  man  "  instead 
of  "  devil,"  because,  as  they  said,  the  devil  ought  to  be  cast 
out.  They  changed  the  title  of  the  sovereign  from  Hiuangii 
to  Wang,  because  the  former  seemed  to  infringe  on  that  of 
Shafigti,  the  Supreme  Ruler.  Ticnchao  ("Celestial  Empire") 
they  turned  into  Tienkwo  ("  kingdom  of  heaven  "),  a  Scripture 
phrase  ;  joining  with  it  the  words  tai ping  ("  great  peace  "),  to 
indicate  the  coming  of  a  time  when  the  "  nations  shall  learn 
war  no  more."     Their  chief  was  called,  mostly  in  irony,  Tai- 

*  See  p.  106. 


138  A    CYCLE    OF  CA'llIAY 

ping  Wang  ("  Prince  of  Peace  ").  The  doxology  in  honor  of  the 
emperor,  "  May  he  hve  ten  tliousand  years,"  tliey  retained,  but 
evolved  from  it  a  whole  system  of  new  titles,  ordaining  that 
the  prince  next  in  dignity  should  be  entitled  to  a  doxology  of 
nine  thousand,  the  third  to  eight,  the  fourth  to  seven,  and  so  on 
in  a  diminishing  series,  according  to  a  formula  of  ;/  —  i.  The 
principle  of  a  civil-service  examination  they  accepted  ;  but  the 
books  of  Confucius  were  banished,  and  those  of  Jesus  Christ 
substituted — texts  for  competition  being  selected  from  the  Old 
or  the  New  Testament,  an  edition  of  which  was  published  by 
them  at  Nanking. 

Had  the  tremendous  significance  of  this  innovation  been  duly 
appreciated,  might  it  not  have  led  Western  governments  to  as- 
sume a  different  attitude  toward  the  rising  power?  It  showed 
the  grim  earnestness  of  the  insurgents,  not  less  devoted  to  the 
Bible  nor  less  ready  to  die  for  their  convictioiis  than  Hugue- 
not or  Covenanter,  giving  mortal  offense  to  the  learned  classes 
by  decanonizing  the  books  of  Confucius,  but  opening  the  way 
for  a  new  career  by  cutting  the  leading-strings  of  antiquity. 
Nor  was  this  a  bid  for  recognition  by  the  AVestern  powers,  of 
which  they  knew  little  and  for  which  they  cared  less.  A  little 
more  knowledge  would  have  prom})ted  them  to  j)ush  their  way 
to  the  sea  and  put  themselves  in  communication  with  Chris- 
tendom without  delay. 

Their  neglect  of  Shanghai  was,  as  I  have  said,  a  fatal  mis- 
take. 'J'he  first  result  of  that  oversiglit  was  the  ca])ture  of  the 
city  l)v  a  nondescript  bodv  of  harpies,  known  as  Redheads. 
'I'hey  Ijclonged  to  llie  Triad  Societv,  and  had  no  svmpathy  with 
the  reforms  proposed  l)v  tlic  Taiping  cliief.  Some  of  their 
foremost  men  liad  been  scT\-aiits  in  foreign  employ.  One  of 
them  was  Aiding,  "  Skintier's  ]ior>e-l)ov."  'Hiougli  not  con- 
nected will)  the  insurgents  at  Nanking,  they  were  regarded  as 
fighting  in  a  coininon  cause,  and  tlieir  conduct  was  such  as  to 
make   the  foreign   community,  luMrified  by  scenes  of  blood, 


THE    TAlPIXa   REBELIJOX  139 

ready  to  welcome  any  expedient  for  the  restoration  of  peace. 
The  Redlieads  were  expelled  after  a  long  siege  by  the  aid  of 
the  French,  who  breached  the  walls.  In  i860  the  Enghsh 
in  a  similar  maimer  aided  the  imperialists  to  retake  Ningpo,* 
which  a  few  months  previous  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Taipings,  who  had  taken  most  of  the  large  cities  in  the  prov- 
inces of  Chekiang  and  Kiangsu.  They  approached  Shang- 
hai, but  were  deterred  from  making  an  attack  by  finding  it  de- 
fended by  a  combined  force  of  the  allied  nations. 

In  the  meantime.  General  Ward,  an  American  adventurer, 
took  service  under  the  taotai  of  Shanghai,  and  there  organized 
a  native  force  with  a  nucleus  of  foreigners  of  various  nation- 
alities. He  it  was  who  first  showed  what  could  be  done  with 
Chinese  soldiers  by  arms,  disci])line,  and  valiant  leadership  ;  re- 
taking city  after  city,  and  crowning  an  unbroken  series  of  vic- 
tories by  falling  bravely  under  the  walls  of  Tseche.  To  him 
belongs  the  honor  of  turning  the  tide  and  teaching  the  Chi- 
nese to  help  themselves ;  nor  have  thev  been  slow  to  acknow- 
ledge their  obligations  to  him  —  erecting,  after  their  fashion,  a 
memorial  temple  at  Sungkiang,  the  chief  scene  of  his  exploits. 
The  United  States  consul,  who  happened  to  be  a  missionary, 
was  invited  to  assist  at  its  dedication.  He  doubtless  "rent  his 
garments,"  or  at  least  divested  himself  of  his  white  necktie, 
when  he  saw  incense  and  roast  pigs  offered  to  the  manes  of 
the  defunct  general. 

Colonel  Gordon,  the  hero  of  Khartoum,  succeeded  to  the 
command  of  Ward's  force,  raising  it  to  higher  efificiency,  break- 
ing the  rebel  power,  and  insuring  the  fall  of  their  capital  by 
the  recapture  of  Suchau. 

When  Nanking  was  recovered,  in  1864,  after  a  siege  as  pro- 
tracted as  that  of  Troy,  the  same  scenes  of  butchery  took  place 
that  had  followed  its  capture  bv  the  rebels.     The  chief  and 

*  I  was  in  tlie  United  States,  or  I  might  liave  had  some  notes  of  the 
rebel  occupation. 


140  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

many  of  his  followers  committed  suicide  to  escape  vengeance. 
An  incident  which  occurred  shortly  after  it  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Taipings  may  be  mentioned  here  as  illustrating  the  con- 
dition of  the  Chinese  mind.  l"he  governor  of  Canton,  being 
ordered  to  destroy  the  family  tombs  of  the  rebel  leaders,  re- 
ported to  the  throne  that  on  digging  them  up  he  had  found 
a  terrapin  covered  with  green  hair.  Thinking  this  uncanny 
animal  might  have  something  to  do  with  the  rise  of  the  rebel 
power,  he  had  pinned  it  to  the  earth  with  copper  nails  dipped 
in  lime! 

In  the  "  Life  of  Dr.  Judson  "  we  are  told  that,  on  the  outbreak 
of  the  first  war  with  Burmah,  the  king  ordered  a  lion  which 
had  been  presented  by  the  viceroy  of  India  to  be  imprisoned 
and  starved  to  death,  lest  by  some  magical  influence  he  should 
contribute  to  the  success  of  British  arms.  Judson,  who  was 
confined  in  the  same  prison,  witnessed  the  dying  agonies  of  the 
noble  beast,  and  then  sought  and  obtained  the  privilege  of  oc- 
cupying his  vacant  cage.  This  fetish  philosophy  the  Burmese 
borrowed  from  China.  Among  the  preseiUs  sent  the  Pmiperor 
Kiaching,  in  1816,  by  the  King  of  England,  it  is  said  there  was 
a  burning-glass  of  great  power.  No  sooner  had  the  embassy 
left  the  capital  than  a  council  was  called  to  decide  what  should 
be  done  with  it.  All  agreed  that  it  was  a  magical  eye,  which 
would  enable  a  foreign  potentate  to  see  into  the  palace  ;  and 
after  being  broken  to  pieces  it  was  l)uried  in  the  earth.  This 
story  is  probably  true,  though  I  have  not  been  able  to  verify 
it.  Nothing  could  be  more  in  harmony  with  tlie  Chinese  way 
of  thinking.  For  such  superstitions  Christianity  is  the  best,  if 
not  the  only,  remedy  —  rooting  uj)  along  with  idolatry  its  entire 
brood  of  geomanrv,  fortime-telling,  and  magic. 

In  i860,  when  Peking  was  taken  by  the  Allies,  the  rebels 
still  held  many  strong  positions  in  the  valley  of  the  "N'ang-tse. 
'^I'he  emperor   having   lied   to   Tartary,    Lord    l^lgin    thought 


THE    TAIPIXG   REBELLION  141 

seriously  of  opening  negotiations  with  the  insurgent  chief,  but 
was  deterred  by  tlie  opposition  of  Baron  Gros,  who,  adopting 
the  views  of  Roman  Catholic  missionaries,  disliked  the  insur- 
gents because  their  religion  was  reported  to  be  of  a  Protestant 
type,  and  because,  being  iconoclasts,  they  had  not  taken  care 
to  distinguish  between  Christian  images  and  pagan  idols. 

liishop  Mouly,  who,  in  a  pamphlet  styled  a  "  Memorial  to 
the  Throne,"  had  vindicated  his  co-rehgionists  from  suspicion 
of  complicity  by  denouncing  the  insurgents  as  converts  to  Prot- 
estantism, enjoyed,  no  doubt,  a  sort  of  triumph.  But  his  policy 
was  not  marked  by  that  far-reaching  wisdom  with  which  the 
Church  of  Rome  is  credited.  For  are  not  Protestants  easier  to 
convert  than  pagans?  And  would  not  a  ruler  who  styled  him- 
self the  "  younger  brother  of  Jesus  Christ "  be  more  likely  to 
submit  to  the  Holy  See  than  one  who  calls  himself  the  "  Son 
of  Heaven"?  Protestants  the  insurgents  were  not.  Protes- 
tant missionaries  disowned  them  ;  and  Colonel  Gordon,  as  de- 
vout a  Christian  as  any  that  followed  Cromwell,  felt  that  he 
was  doing  God  service  in  mowing  them  down. 

Looking  back  at  this  distance  of  time,  with  all  the  light  of 
subsequent  history  upon  the  events,  we  are  still  inclined  to 
ask  whether  a  different  policy  might  not  have  been  better  for 
China.  Had  foreign  powers  promptly  recognized  the  Tai- 
ping  chief  on  the  outbreak  of  the  second  war,  might  it  not  have 
shortened  a  chapter  of  horrors  that  dragged  on  for  fifteen 
more  years,  ending  in  the  Nienfei  and  Mohammedan  rebel- 
hons,  and  causing  the  loss  of  fifty  millions  of  human  lives?  Is 
it  not  probable  that  the  new  power  would  have  shown  more 
aptitude  than  the  old  one  for  the  assimilation  of  new  ideas,  as 
in  chemistry  nascent  elements  enter  into  combinations  that 
are  impossible  for  those  that  have  long  enjoyed  a  separate 
existence? 

In  international  politics  it  too  often  happens  that  present  in- 


142 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


terests  are  allowed  to  outweigh  prospective  advantages.  Thus 
it  came  to  pass  that,  more  than  once  when  the  insurgents  were 
on  the  verge  of  success,  the  prejudices  of  short-sighted  diplo- 
mats decided  against  them,  and  an  opportunity  was  lost  such 
as  does  not  occur  once  in  a  thousand  years. 


TIIK   C;oD    OK    WAR, 


CHAPTER    X 

THE     "  ARROW  "    WAR 
Expedition  to  the  North  —  Fruitless  negotiations — Capture  of  Taku 

IN  the  autumn  of  1856  a  chance  spark  at  Canton  produced 
an  explosion  that  shook  the  empire  and  opened  wider  the 
breach  already  made  in  the  wall  of  exclusiveness.  The  occur- 
rence was  on  this  wise.  The  lorcha  "  Arrow,"  a  Chinese  ves- 
sel flying  the  British  flag — a  privilege  for  which  she  had,  in 
conformity  with  a  vicious  system  then  in  vogue,  paid  a  small 
fee  to  the  government  of  Hong  Kong — was  seized  by  the  Chi- 
nese authorities,  and  her  crew  thrown  into  prison  on  a  charge 
of  piracy.  The  British  consul,  Mr.  (afterward  Sir  Harry) 
Parkes,*  lodged  a  protest,  claiming  jurisdiction  on  the  ground 
that  the  lorcha  was  registered  in  a  British  colony,  and  demand- 
ing not  merely  that  the  prisoners  be  restored  to  the  deck  of 
their  vessel,  but  that  the  British  flag  be  hoisted  at  the  mast- 
head, in  expiation  of  the  affront  offered  in  hauling  it  down. 

The  viceroy  Yeh,  who  was  notoriously  proud  and  obstinate, 
yielded  so  far  as  to  send  the  captives  under  guard  to  the  con- 
sulate. It  takes  two  to  make  a  quarrel,  but  no  two  could  be 
better  fitted  to  produce  one  and  to  nurse  it  into  a  war  than  the 
two  who  were  parties  in  this  dispute.  Had  prompt  release  of 
the  captives  been  accepted  as  sufficient  amends,  there  would 
have  been  no  war — at  least,  no  "  Arrow  "  war  ;  but  the  consul, 
young,  hot-headed,  and  inexperienced,  unwilling  to  abate  a  jot 
of  his  demands,  refused  to  receive  the  captives.    They  were  car- 

*  See  p.  422. 
H3 


144  ^    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

ried  back  to  the  viceroy,  who,  in  a  fit  of  anger,  ordered  them  to 
be  beheaded.  He  was  a  truculent  wretch,  who  boasted  of  the 
thousands  he  had  decapitated  for  complicity  in  rebellion ;  no 
wonder,  therefore,  that  he  was  hasty  in  cutting  off  the  heads 
of  a  dozen  boatmen. 

At  this  stage  Mr.  Parkes  referred  the  matter  to  Sir  John 
Bowring,  governor  of  Hong  Kong;  and  the  viceroy  proving 
obdurate  to  all  attempts  to  extract  an  apology,  the  governor 
placed  the  aflfair  in  the  hands  of  Admiral  Seymour.  That 
brave  officer,  having  lost  an  eye  by  the  explosion  of  a  Russian 
torpedo  in  the  Baltic,  could  see  only  one  way  to  negotiate. 
Appearing  before  the  city,  he  invited  the  viceroy  to  meet  him 
outside  the  gates.  The  stubborn  old  mandarin  declining  the 
interview,  he  announced  his  intention  of  calling  at  the  vice- 
regal palace.  This  he  did  at  the  hour  named,  though  he  had 
to  blow  up  one  of  the  city  gates  in  order  to  keep  his  engage- 
ment. He,  however,  reckoned  without  his  host ;  the  viceroy 
was  not  at  home ;  and  the  little  squad  of  marines,  only  three 
hundred,  withdrew  to  their  ships,  their  daring  feat  having  had 
no  other  effect  than  to  fan  a  firebrand  into  a  conflagration.. 
Scarcely  had  they  retired  when  the  foreign  quarter  was  set  on 
fire  by  an  infuriated  populace.  The  foreigners  took  refuge 
on  the  shipping,  and  the  shipping  dropped  down  the  river  to 
Hong  Kong. 

The  little  settlement  at  Hong  Kong  was  in  no  small  peril, 
its  chief  flanger  being  a  possible  rising  of  the  Chinese.  But 
overwhelming  as  were  their  numbers,  they  refrained  from  open 
action,  trusting  perhaps  to  the  efTect  of  poison,  which  Alum, 
the  city  baker,  mixed  with  his  dcnigh.  The  mixture  was  too 
strong  and  defeated  its  object ;  only  two  or  three  died,  though 
many  suffered  ;  and  it  was  agreed  on  all  hands  that  for  once 
there  was  too  much  alum  in  tlie  bread. 

^rhis  ru])ture  was  recognized  as  the  beginning  of  a  war,  and 
troops  were  despatched  to  the  scene ;  and  the  Ikitish  govern- 


THE   "AKKOIV    IVAR  145 

ment — by  no  means  so  selfish  as  usually  represented — com- 
mitted the  mistake  of  inviting  the  cooperation  of  the  other 
treaty  powers.  The  French  were  asked  with  the  idea  of  keep- 
ing alive  a  simulacrum  of  the  Crimean  alliance  ;  but  this  brought 
embarrassment  rather  than  help,  and  led  to  the  French  con- 
quest of  Annam — their  first  expedition  against  that  empire 
being  an  episode  in  the  war  with  China.  America  and  Rus- 
sia had  no  ground  for  taking  part  in  the  hostilities.  But  the 
French  emperor,  who  had  suffered  many  a  murdered  mission- 
ary to  go  unavenged,  just  at  this  juncture  met  with  a  case — 
that  of  Pere  Chapdelaine — which  served  him  as  a  pretext  for 
joining  his  forces  with  those  of  the  English.  His  real  motive 
was  to  checkmate  his  allies  and  prevent  their  gathering  the 
fruits  of  an  inevitable  victory. 

In  December,  1857,  Canton  was  taken,  and  the  viceroy  was 
captured  and  carried  away  to  Calcutta,  where  he  died.  Mean- 
while trade  at  the  northern  ports  was  uninterrupted,  and  the 
Emperor  of  China  appeared  utterly  indifferent  to  what  was 
going  on  at  Canton,  considering  the  conflict  as  a  local  dis- 
turbance of  no  great  moment.  To  wake  him  from  his  dream 
of  supremacy  the  Allies  resolved  to  transfer  the  scene  to  the 
North.  America  and  Russia,  though  remaining  neutral,  seized 
the  opportunity  as  favorable  for  the  revision  of  their  treaties. 
The  following  spring  saw  four  powers  knocking  at  the  outer 
gates  of  the  capital — two  of  them  with  the  gentle  tap  of  friend- 
ship, the  other  two  with  the  heavy  blows  of  belligerents. 

The  first  war  had  relaxed  but  had  not  overthrown  the  ex- 
clusive policy  and  haughty  pretensions  of  China.  Four  addi- 
tional points  of  commercial  contact  had  been  gained,  but  the 
court  itself  was  still  inaccessible.  Ministers  accredited  to  the 
emperor  must  content  themselves  with  an  occasional  interview 
with  a  provincial  governor.  There  was  no  possibility  of  their 
complaints  reaching  the  throne. 

In  1854  the  British  and  American  ministers  had  presented 


146  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

themselves  at  Taku  in  the  hope  of  opening  the  way  to  Peking, 
but  they  were  sent  back  with  their  letters  in  their  pockets.  The 
next  year  a  letter  of  President  Pierce  was  returned  to  Fuchau 
with  its  seal  broken,  accompanied  by  a  message  that  it  must 
come  by  way  of  Canton  in  order  to  receive  attention.  The 
yoimg  Emperor  Hienfung,  far  from  profiting  by  the  experience 
of  his  father,  thought  only  of  restoring  the  old  regime.  When 
he  ascended  the  throne,  in  1850,  Chang  Ki  Shin,  one  of  his 
ministers,  adjured  him,  by  the  shade  of  his  father,  to  impose 
the  same  restrictions  all  along  the  coast  that  had  previously 
existed  at  Canton,  but  to  "  aim  at  securing  order  in  his  own 
dominions  prior  to  any  demonstration  abroad."  The  Queen 
of  Great  Britain  sent  him,  by  way  of  Taku,  a  letter  of  con- 
gratulation on  his  accession,  and  this  is  the  way  he  received  it : 
"Foreigners,"  he  says  in  a  decree  relating  to  it,  "are  under 
obligation  to  be  grateful  for  our  generosity ;  but  their  recent 
proceedings  in  forwarding  despatches  direct  to  ministers  of 
state  can  be  looked  on  only  as  contumacious  and  insulting." 

With  a  man  of  such  a  spirit  peace  was  impossible.  Rela- 
tions required  readjustment,  and  the  "  Aitow  "  afforded  an  oc- 
casion, as  opium  had  done.  In  both  cases,  so  far  as  the  im- 
mediate question  was  concerned,  British  arms  were  upholding 
the  weaker  side.  As  to  the  merits  of  the  "Arrow"  case,  Sir 
John  Bowring  appears  to  have  thought  himself  in  the  right ; 
for  he  took  the  extraordinary  step  of  having  his  correspon- 
dence with  the  Canton  viceroy  circulated  among  the  Chinese 
on  the  seaboard.  Wx.  Sinclair,  the  British  consul  at  Xingpo, 
iTanded  me  a  copy  and  asked  my  opinion.  I  replied  tlial  it 
sliowed  tlie  Chinese  authorities  to  better  advantage  than  tlie 
I'.ritisli.  His  own  impression,  he  said,  was  the  same.  He  ac- 
cordingly distributed  none  at  that  jjort. 

Hearing  tliat  the  Uin'ted  States  minister,  Mr.  l\.ecd,  was 
going  lo  ilie  North,  it  f)ccnrred  to  me  that  bv  joining  the  ex- 
peih'tion  I  might  see  stirring  events  and  perhaps  find  a  new 


THE   "ARROW    WAR 


147 


field  for  missionary  enterprise.  The  northern  dialect  I  had 
acquired  several  years  before,  and  my  command  of  it  had  been 
improved  by  frequent  intercourse  with  Chinese  officials.  The 
United  States  consul,  Dr.  l^radley,  having  no  paid  interpreter, 
had  engaged  me  for  occasional  duty  in  that  capacity.  An- 
noyed that  I  refused  to  accept  money  for  my  services,  he  ex- 
erted himself  to  procure  for  me  a  position  in  connection  with 
the  American  legation.  My  application,  supported  by  him 
and  by  Dr.  Williams,  then  Chinese  secretary  to  the  legation, 
was  successful.  The  answer  was  brought  by  a  special  steamer, 
the  "  Antelope,"  which  conveyed  me  to  Shanghai,  where  I  was 
accepted  by  Mr.  Reed  as  interpreter  for  the  court  dialect. 


CHINESE    I'ORTRAIT-l'AINTEK 


Desirous  of  preserving  sketches  of  remarkable  scenes,  there 
being  no  kodaks  in  those  days,  I  took  witli  me  a  young  artist 
of  Ningpo,  who,  from  professional  ambition  rather  than  for  pay, 
consented  to  accompany  me  as  a  body-servant,  the  only  capa- 


148  --/    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

city  in  which  his  passage  would  be  allowed.  Chinese  art  is 
eminently  original.  A  horizontal  plane  is  represented  by  a 
steep  gradient ;  in  mountain  scenery  they  pile  Pelion  on  Ossa  ; 
and  in  depicting  a  crowd  make  them  stand  on  one  another's 
heads.  Their  sketches,  like  their  speech,  consequently  require 
translation. 

Mr.  Reed  and  his  secretaries,  including  Consul  Bradley, 
proceeded  North  in  the  "  Minnesota,"  with  Captain  Dupont 
(afterward  Admiral),  leaving  me  to  follow  in  the  "Antelope," 
whose  captain  was  a  notoriously  "  tough  customer."  Imagin- 
ing that  I  might  have  scruples  about  leaving  port  on  Sunday, 
Captain  Dupont  had  informed  me  that  my  wishes  would  be 
respected.  When,  however,  I  expressed  a  preference  for  put- 
ting to  sea  on  Friday,  Captain  Lynch  objected  on  conscien- 
tious grounds,  and  insisted  on  weighing  anchor  on  Sunday, 
April  2d,  also  on  conscientious  grounds.  With  a  conscience 
so  constructed  I  thought  it  best  not  to  interfere.  At  Taku  our 
frigate  was  anchored  twelve  miles  from  the  batteries  ;  the  ships 
of  the  other  ministers,  being  of  lighter  draft,  were  nearer  in, 
but  outside  the  bar  and  far  beyond  cannon-shot.  The  "  Ante- 
lope "  had  been  chartered  for  a  tender,  but  she  was  too  large 
for  the  purpose,  and  only  succeeded  in  crossing  the  bar  by  the 
help  of  a  Russian  vessel  after  emptying  boilers  and  bunkers. 
She  then  got  aground  in  an  awkward  position  near  the  forts; 
and  in  carrviiig  communications,  instead  of  steaming  in  and 
out  I  was  compelled  to  make  use  of  a  sail-boat. 

On  my  arri\al,  Mr.  Reed  showed  me  a  despatch  from  Tan, 
the  viceroy  of  Chihli,  announcing  his  appointment  to  negotiate 
oil  behalf  of  the  emperor,  and  inviting  him  to  an  interview. 
I  was  also  given  a  copy  of  the  President's  letter  to  the  em- 
peror to  translate  into  Chinese.  To  those  accustomed  to  them, 
forms  of  address  are  of  little  conscciuence ;  but  Hienfung 
must  have  been  either  amused  or  indignant  to  find  himself  ad- 
dressed by  President  Ikichanan  as  "  great  and  good  friend," 


THE   ''ARROW    WAR 


149 


when  Queen  Victoria  styled  him  "  most  high,  most  mighty,  and 
most  glorious  prince."  The  viceroy's  letter,  which  was  iden- 
tical with  that  sent  to  the  other  envoys,  had  in  each  case  the 
name  of  the  foreign  country  a  space  lower  than  that  of  China. 
By  three  of  the  envoys  the  communication  was  promptly  sent 
back  for  correction  ;  and  it  came  agaih  in  due  form,  with  an 
apology  throwing  the  blame  on  a  copyist.  The  Russian  min- 
ister, Count  Poutiatine,  made  no  objection,  not  caring  to  risk 
for  a  trifle  his  position  as  friend  of  China  and  possible  medi- 
ator. But  such  things  are  not  trifles  with  an  arrogant  govern- 
ment like  that  of  China. 

On  the  24th  instant,  going  ashore  to  convey  the  answer  of 
Mr.  Reed,  I  was  taken  on  a  British  gunboat,  along  with  Mr. 
(afterward  Sir  Thomas)  Wade  and  the  French  secretary,  who 


3ATTEKIES    AT   THE    MOUTH    OF   THE    PEIHO 


were  charged  with  the  missives  of  their  respective  ministers. 
A  Chinese  colonel  who  received  the  despatches,  being  asked 
to  give  a  receipt,  replied,  "  I  am  a  soldier  and  cannot  write," 


150  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

The  British  and  French  ambassadors,  Lord  Elgin  and  Baron 
Gros,  decHned  to  meet  the  viceroy  because  he  was  not  styled 
a  "plenipotentiary"  —  a  pitiful  quibble,  which  had  the  effect 
of  reopening  hostilities.  The  neutrals  were  not  so  exacting ; 
Mr.  Reed  and  Count  Poutiatine  each  arranged  for  a  separate 
meeting. 

An  occasional  extract  from  my  journal  may  serve  to  repro- 
duce the  scenes  of  those  eventful  days. 

"April  20th.  An  interview  took  place  to-day  between  the 
Russian  count  and  the  viceroy,  with  whom  are  associated  two 
other  commissioners,  Chunglun  and  "Wurguntai,  Manchus  from 
Peking.  He  remained  three  hours,  and  succeeded  in  avert- 
ing a  hostile  collision.  While  they  were  engaged  in  conference, 
six  gunboats  of  the  Allies  crossed  the  bar  and  steamed  in 
directly  toward  the  batteries.  All  was  excitement  on  shore ; 
j)reparations  were  made  to  annihilate  the  intruders,  and  but  for 
his  solemn  warning  a  battle  would  have  taken  place  there  and 
then.  Forbearance,  he  said,  would  be  taken  as  a  proof  of 
friendly  disposition,  and  would  facilitate  an  amicable  settle- 
ment. The  viceroy  replied  that  he  had  stringent  orders  not 
to  permit  a  ship  of  war  to  pass  the  bar.  His  Tartar  col- 
leagues were  clamorous  for  war,  but  Tan  took  the  count's  ad- 
vice, and  the  gunboats  were  allowed  to  drop  anchor  within 
easy  range." 

"  May  3d.  Mr.  Reed's  meeting  with  the  viceroy  took  place 
this  afternoon.  In  the  forenoon.  Dr.  Williams,  Consul  Brad- 
ley, and  I  went  to  the  batteries  to  arrange  certain  details — to 
ascertain  whether  the  place  of  meeting  would  be  decent  and 
commodious,  the  landing  safe  and  convenient,  etc.  Nor  was 
this  a  sujjerfluous  precaution.  The  Chinese  have  so  many  ways 
of  jnuting  jjctty  indignities  on  foreigners  that  it  is  not  safe  to 
trust  tlic  preparations  for  such  an  occasion  entirely  to  their 
sense  of  propriety.  There  is  neither  jetty  nor  wharf,  and  an 
appalling  expanse  of  mud  t(j  be  bridged  or  forded.     Clamber- 


£jgBiiij#^^:4^  ^k-^i=m-% 


THE   "ARROW'    WAR  151 

ing  over  a  number  of  junks  drawn  together  to  serve  for  a  tem- 
porary landing,  we  were  beset  by  a  swarm  of  soldiers,  in  black 
jackets  with  red  borders,  and  caps  ornamented  with  red  crests 
of  horsehair.  They  were  finer  looking  fellows  than  any  I  had 
seen  in  the  southern  provinces — as  tall  and  heavy  as  the  aver- 
age of  our  (American)  rank  and  file.  They  endeavored  to  stop 
our  progress ;  but  we  pressed  on  until  we  were  met  by  a  pha- 
lanx of  blue-and-white-buttoned  mandarins. 

"  Chairs  were  placed  on  the  soft  mud,  tea  was  brought,  and 
we  were  invited  to  be  seated  until  Colonel  Chin  should  make 
his  appearance.  To  take  seats  would  be  to  fix  the  meeting  of 
our  committee  of  arrangements  in  that  unseemly  spot.  We 
accordingly  sipped  our  tea  standing  and  resumed  our  march. 
Perceiving  that  we  were  not  to  be  deterred  from  our  purpose, 
the  mandarins  ceased  to  oppose  us ;  the  long  lines  of  infantry 
drawn  up  on  the  bank  of  the  fosse  parted,  and  we  were  ushered 
into  a  spacious  tent  hung  with  blue.  Soon  the  soldiers  about 
the  door  began  to  form,  and  Colonel  Chin  entered  between  the 
files.  He  shook  hands  with  us  cordially  in  Tartar  style  ;  offered 
tea  and  sweetmeats  ;  assured  us  that  nothing  should  be  wanting 
to  a  proper  reception  of  the  minister,  received  a  despatch  for 
the  viceroy,  and  then  graciously  escorted  us  to  our  boat." 

The  place  of  meeting  was  a  marquee  in  front  of  the  cen- 
tral fort.  It  looked  out  on  a  dreary  mud-flat ;  but  the  nearer 
scene  was  gay  with  banners  and  alive  with  mandarins,  civil 
and  military,  clad  in  rich  costumes,  their  caps  adorned  with 
the  button  indicative  of  rank,  and  many  of  them  wearing  a 
peacock's  feather  as  a  reward  for  special  service.  Whether 
civil  or  military,  Chinese  officials  are  divided  into  nine  grades. 
The  two  highest  have  their  caps  surmounted  bv  globes  of  bright 
or  pale  red  ;  the  next  two  by  globes  of  bright  or  dull  blue  ;  the 
third  pair  by  crystal  and  white ;  and  the  last  three  by  gold  or 
gilt  diversely  marked.  The  first  three  are  styled  ta  jin  ("great 
man  "),  die  second  trio  ta  laoye  ("  great  father  "),  while  the  last 


152  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

are  simply  laoye  ("  old  father,"  or  "  elder,"  equivalent  to  "  sig- 
nor"). 

Mr.  Reed  arrived  at  four  o'clock,  saluted  by  three  guns  and  a 
flourish  of  music.  He  was  met  by  the  assistant  commissioners 
outside  the  tent  door,  the  viceroy  waiting  inside  and  seating 
him  on  his  left  hand.  The  members  of  his  suite  were  ranged 
on  the  same  side,  while  Tan's  colleagues  and  assistants  were 
disposed  on  the  right.  Few  things  strike  a  foreigner  as  more 
strange  than  this  left-handed  courtesy,  especially  as  the  people 
are  not  left-handed.  Their  usages  are  in  such  marked  con- 
trast to  our  own  as  to  be  highly  becoming  for  our  antipodes. 
In  reading  a  book,  they  begin,  as  in  Hebrew,  at  the  end.  In 
mourning  they  wear  white ;  they  keep  their  hats  on  where  we 
take  ours  off.  Honors  flow  upstream,  so  that  deceased  an- 
cestors derive  titles  of  distinction  from  their  worthy  offspring. 
They  place  the  family  name  before  that  of  the  individual,  and 
say  Smith  John  instead  of  John  Smith.  The  magnetic  needle, 
they  say,  points  to  the  south,  while  we  say  it  points  to  the 
north ;  though  in  this,  as  in  many  other  disputes,  both  may  be 
right.  So  numerous,  indeed,  are  these  differences  as  to  lead  us 
to  suspect  that  the  same  cosmical  law  that  placed  their  feet 
opposite  to  ours  must  have  turned  their  heads  the  other  way. 

"  In  comparing  credentials,  the  question  of  the  viceroy's 
'  powers  '  naturally  came  up.  '  True,  you  have  a  commission 
to  negotiate,'  said  Mr.  Reed,  '  but  you  are  not  a  plenipotenti- 
ary.' '  In  this  empire,'  replied  Tan,  '  there  is  only  one  j)leni- 
potentiary  ;  that  is  the  emperor.'  '  But  can  you  sign  a  treaty 
without  reference  to  Peking?  '  asked  Mr.  Reed.  Tan,  with 
some  hesitation,  answered  in  the  affirmative — the  fact  being 
that  he  kept  couriers  going  between  camp  and  capital,  and 
never  thought  of  assenting  to  anything  without  being  sure  of 
his  master's  approval.  This  involved  little  or  no  delay ;  and, 
as  it  made  him  the  mouthpiece  of  the  throne,  the  negotiations 
were   really   conducted   with   the   emperor   and    his  cabinet, 


THE    "ARROW    WAR  153 

which,  in  this  day  of  telegraphs,  has  come  to  be  the  universal 
practice.* 

"  At  the  opening  of  the  interview,  the  viceroy  spoke  of  our 
President  as  Km  Wang  ["  vassal  prince  "].  I  drew  Mr.  Reed's 
attention  to  this,  and  he  demanded  that  he  should  either  pro- 
nounce the  word  "  President "  or  give  our  chief  the  same  title 
as  his  own.  Tan  stammered  out  Po-Ie-si-tien-teh  a  time  or  two, 
and  then  accepted  the  alternative,  pronouncing  Ni-inen-ti  ta 
Humfigfi  ["your  great  emperor"]  in  a  derisive  tone." 

The  viceroy  had  a  haughty  air,  but  he  was  a  man  of  abihty, 
and  our  intercourse  with  him  was  not  other  than  agreeable. 
His  name  was  what  the  Chinese  call  lucky,  signifying,  by  analy- 
sis, "early  words  with  the  JVesf."  The  acquaintance  which  I 
formed  with  him  and  with  Chunglun,  one  of  his  two  colleagues, 
was  afterward  useful  to  me  at  the  capital,  where  both  became 
members  of  the  Council  for  Foreign  Affairs.  I  met  also  at 
this  time  a  handsome  young  Tartar  of  my  own  age,  with  whom 
I  had  much  to  do  in  later  years.  This  was  Chunghau,  after- 
ward superintendent  of  trade  at  Tientsin,  governor  of  Man- 
churia, member  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs,  minister  to 
France,  and  ambassador  to  Russia.  He  was  then  a  tao-tai  in 
the  suite  of  the  viceroy. 

"  Little  time  was  given  to  compliments,  and  less  to  the  fruits 
and  confectionery  with  which  the  tables  were  loaded.  No  rice- 
wine  was  brought  in,  and  I  note  this  as  the  first  official  meet- 
ing of  considerable  length  that  I  ever  saw  without  it.  In  the 
course  of  the  interview,  Mr.  Reed  mentioned  that  he  was  bearer 
of  an  autograph  letter  from  the  President  to  the  emperor,  but 
that  he  would  not  deliver  it  until  he  should  be  assured,  by  im- 
perial rescript,  that  it  w^ould  be  received  and  properly  answered. 

*  In  1895,  Li  Hung  Chang,  though  styled  a  plenipotentiary,  did  not 
dare  to  agree  to  a  cession  of  territory  until  he  had  referred  to  Peking. 
In  fact,  all  the  points  of  this  treaty  were  submitted  to  the  emperor  before 
signature. 


154  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Tan  having  engaged  to  procure  the  rescript,  Mr.  Reed  exhib- 
ited a  letter  of  President  Pierce,  which,  having  been  sent  from 
Fuchau  instead  of  Canton,  had  been  returned  with  the  seal 
broken  ;  adding  that  if  anything  of  that  kind  should  be  repeated 
it  would  lead  the  United  States  to  assume  an  attitude  of  hos- 
tility toward  China — a  warning  which  subsequent  events 
proved  to  have  had  a  good  eflfect.  He  also  referred  to  his 
despatch  to  the  Council  of  State,  sent  from  Canton,  and  re- 
quested a  copy  in  proof  of  its  having  reached  its  destination. 

"  A  second  meeting  took  place  on  the  loth,  the  viceroy  hav- 
ing procured  a  copy  of  the  despatch  and  informed  Mr.  Reed 
that  he  had  received  a  rescript  ordering  him  to  forward  the 
President's  letter.  He  had  in  the  meantime  l)een  furnished  with 
a  summary  of  Mr.  Reed's  proposals  as  to  treaty  revision.  The 
interview  was  intended  for  the  discussion  of  this  program. 
Mr.  Reed  introduced  the  business  of  the  day  by  incjuiring  for 
the  paper  containing  the  '  summary  of  points,'  which  he  had 
sent  to  the  commissioners  on  the  previous  Saturday.  Tan  pro- 
duced a  co/>y.  '  But  where,'  asked  Mr.  Reed,  '  is  the  original 
document  ? '  '  I'his  is  a  true  copv,'  replied  Tan,  '  and  will 
answer  just  as  well.'  '  But  I  should  like  to  see  the  original 
paper,'  pressed  Mr.  Reed. 

"Ta//.  The  original  is  preserved  for  the  inspection  of  his 
Majesty.  I  was  afraid  of  soiling  it,  and  so  took  a  copy  for  my 
own  use.  It  is  a  correct  one,  you  may  rest  assured.  I  would 
not  dare  to  falsify  it. 

"J/r.  /t'cvv/.    Is  the  paper  I  sent  you  at  hand  ? 

"  Ta//.   It  is. 

"  J/^r.  Rcrd.   Will  you  oblige  me  by  sending  for  it  ? 

"  Tail.    It  is  not  convenient  for  me  to  do  so  at  present. 

" ^[>■.  Rtt'iL  Xow  tell  me  the  truth;  have  you  not  sent  it 
to  Peking  ? 

"  7}!/i.   I  have. 

" A/r.  Rcitl.    But  (lid  von  n(jt  assure  me  it  was  at  hand? 


THE  " AKROIV'    WAR  155 

"  Tan.  It  may  as  truly  be  said  to  be  at  hand  at  Peking  as  if 
it  were  here,  for  I  can  obtain  it  if  desired. 

"  At  this  impudent  subterfuge  Mr.  Reed  lost  patience,  and 
cautioned  the  high  commissioner  against  resorting  to  any  kind 
of  prevarication  in  the  future,  as  it  would  inevitably  undermine 
that  mutual  confidence  so  indispensable  to  successful  negotia- 
tion. Tan  renewed  his  protestations  of  undeviating  veracity, 
and  had  he  been  required  to  swear  by  the  Styx,  it  is  probable 
he  would  not  have  declined  the  oath." 

The  importance  attaching  to  this  apparently  trifling  prehmi- 
nary  may  not,  perhaps,  be  obvious.  Mr.  Reed  had  the  saga- 
city to  suspect  that  Commissioner  Tan  had  already  violated 
his  engagement  to  agree  upon  the  whole  treaty  before  asking 
the  imperial  pleasure  respecting  any  part  of  it,  by  submitting 
in  advance  the  program  of  points,  which  must  embarrass  our 
negotiations  and  might  defeat  them  altogether.  Tan,  too,  had 
acuteness  enough  to  discover  Mr.  Reed's  object  from  his  first 
inquiry ;  hence  his  anxiety  to  evade  a  direct  answer.  He  was 
not  in  the  least  disconcerted  by  the  attack  on  his  veracity ; 
for  truth  is  not  a  point  of  honor  with  the  Chinese,  and  adroit 
lying  is  with  them  admitted  to  be  one  of  the  prime  qualifica- 
tions of  a  mandarin.  The  opinion  the  emperor  has  of  his  own 
officers  is  not  a  whit  more  favorable.  Nor  is  this  surprising, 
for  he  more  than  any  one  else  is  the  victim  of  their  deceit. 
Half  a  century  ago,  when  the  heads  of  departments  and  chief 
mandarins  of  the  realm  were  rendering  to  their  master  an  ac- 
count of  their  stewardship  at  a  great  periodical  reckoning,  Tao- 
kwang,  after  passing  them  all  in  revision,  deliberately  told 
them  that  "  not  one  of  them  knew  what  truth  was." 

Notwithstanding  this  unpleasant  introduction,  the  conference 
was  amicable,  and  the  discussions  free  and  easy.  All  the  pro- 
posed amendments  were  passed  in  review ;  the  champions  of 
conservatism  and  of  progress  exerted  all  their  powers,  and  the 
contest  was  maintained  until  near  night.    Particular  advantages 


156  A    CYCLE   OF  CAT// AY 

were  gained  and  lost,  but  no  important  or  permanent  result  was 
achieved.  Near  the  close  of  the  meeting,  Mr.  Reed  expressed 
a  desire  to  have  a  copy  of  the  imperial  rescript  relating  to  the 
President's  letter.  The  commissioners  had  referred  to  it  in  their 
last  communication  without  quoting  its  language,  and  this  led 
him  to  suspect  that  it  might  contain  something  unsatisfactory. 
Tan  promised  to  send  it  in  the  morning,  and  Mr.  Reed  agreed 
to  resume  negotiations  the  next  day  at  noon,  provided  its  con- 
tents should  meet  his  expectations.  He  was  about  to  rise  to 
take  leave  when  Tan  preferred  a  modest  request.  Though  he 
had  shown  himself  reluctant  to  concede  even  the  most  moder- 
ate demands  or  to  satisfy  the  most  just  claims,  such  as  those 
for  indemnity  for  American  property  destroyed  by  the  Canton- 
ese, he  nevertheless  had  the  assurance  to  beg  Mr.  Reed  to 
"enlighten  the  English  on  the  principles  of  justice,"  and  also 
to  "  employ  his  influence  with  the  Russians  toward  the  set- 
tlement of  the  boundary  question  pending  between  them  and 
China." 

The  opinion  I  had  formed  of  Commissioner  Tan  from  the 
first  interview  was  confirmed  by  this.  It  was  admitted  on  all 
hands  that  he  must  have  attained  his  high  position  by  his  tal- 
ents, and  that  the  emperor  could  not  have  intrusted  the  de- 
fense of  the  old  regime  to  an  abler  champion.  His  voice  had 
a  nasal  twang,  disagreeable  at  first ;  but  the  speaker  of  Manda- 
rin soon  forgot  this  blemish  in  admiration  of  his  diction,  which 
was  fluent,  elegant,  and  pure,  without  any  trace  of  provincial- 
ism. Mr.  Reed's  was  concise  and  perspicuous,  and  well  adapted 
for  accurate  translation.  He  exhibited  so  much  skill,  too,  in 
availing  himself  of  incidental  developments,  parrying  the 
thrusts  of  his  adversary,  and  guarding  American  interests  at 
every  point,  as  to  prove  that,  whatever  his  past  experience 
might  have  been,  he  was  unquestionably  a  master  in  the  dia- 
lectics of  diplomacy.  A  Chinese  junk  is  contemptible  in 
comparison  with  one  of  our  steamers,  but  an  able  mandarin  is 


THE   "ARROW    WAR  157 

a  match  for  our  best  diplomats.  It  is  a  curious  coincidence 
tliat  in  this  prehminary  joust  a  Philadelphia  lawyer  was  met  by 
one  from  Shaohing,  a  city  with  a  special  reputation  for  acute 
lawyers. 

"Early  on  the  nth  instant  came  a  despatch  from  Tan, 
inclosing  a  copy  of  the  rescript.  Mr.  Reed's  suspicions  were 
confirmed :  its  language,  though  not  insulting,  was  far  from 
satisfactory.  His  Majesty  condescended  to  receive  the  Presi- 
dent's letter  by  way  of  Tientsin  instead  of  Canton,  but  dropped 
no  hint  of  any  intention  to  answer  it  at  all,  much  less  to 
answer  it  in  equal  terms.  Nothing  short  of  an  explicit  prom- 
ise from  the  emperor  himself,  to  answer  the  letter  in  terms  of 
equality,  would  satisfy  Mr.  Reed ;  and  he  resolved  to  suspend 
the  interviews  until  an  edict  to  this  effect  should  be  obtained." 

Going  on  shore  to  announce  this  decision,  I  was  witness 
to  a  striking  ceremony.  As  I  approached  the  batteries,  I  ob- 
served a  large  body  of  troops  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  mar- 
quee. Three  guns  were  fired ;  a  flourish  of  music  succeeded ; 
the  troops  dropped  on  their  knees  and  bowed  their  heads  to 
the  earth.  The  three  commissioners  appeared  in  green  palan- 
quins, each  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  eight  men ;  and  the  sol- 
diers remained  kneeling  until  the  dignitaries  entered  the  tent. 

The  next  day  Dr.  Williams  and  I  went  again  to  carry  a 
despatch,  and  by  Mr.  Reed's  advice  we  availed  ourselves  of 
the  opportunity  for  informal  communication  to  further  his  ob- 
jects. We  were  received  by  xh&fanfai,  or  provincial  treasurer, 
and  the  general  in  command  of  the  garrison,  both  wearing  red 
buttons,  while  numbers  of  blues  and  whites,  who  had  stood  in 
tlie  presence  of  the  viceroy,  now  took  seats  and  joined  in  con- 
versation. On  this  and  subsequent  occasions  I  interpreted  for 
Dr.  Williams,  who,  though  an  accomplished  Chinese  scholar, 
was  not  at  that  time  familiar  with  the  dialect  of  the  North. 

"  Desirous  of  impressing  the  mandarins  with  the  importance 
of  admitting  trade  at  other  than  the  five  ports,  he  alluded  to 


158  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

the  fact  that  a  considerable  commerce  had  sprung  up  at  many 
points  on  the  coast.  '  That  illegal  traffic,'  said  the  fantai, '  does 
more  harm  than  good.  Opium  is  one  of  its  staple  commodi- 
ties. Sir  John  Bowring  asserted,  when  I  met  him  here  four 
years  ago,  that  opium  is  as  harmless  as  tea.  But  we  know  it 
is  not  harmless.  That  pernicious  drug  is  wasting  the  property 
and  destroying  the  lives  of  our  people.  Additional  ports  will 
of  course  be  opened,  but  which  I  am  unable  to  say.' 

"Dr.  //'  Your  sovereign  receives  embassies  from  neighbor- 
ing states,  such  as  Siam,  Corea,  etc. ;  why  not  open  the  gates 
of  his  capital  to  the  envoys  of  the  great  nations  of  the  West? 

"Fantai.  It  is  solely  from  fear  of  giving  offense  that  he  hesi- 
tates to  do  so.  A  certain  rite  is  required  of  them,  with  which 
you  would  be  unwiUing  to  comply.  They  are  vassals,  and  per- 
form the  koto  ;  you  are  brethren,  and  would  require  to  be 
treated  on  a  footing  of  equality. 

"Dr.  W.  Brethren  did  you  say?  Is  it  treating  us  like 
brethren  to  keep  us  standing  outside  of  the  door? 

"Fantai.  "When  brethren  have  once  divided  their  interests 
and  set  up  separate  establishments,  good  feeling  is  best  main- 
tained by  remaining  apart.  There  is  danger,  too,  that  some 
foreigners,  if  admitted  to  the  capital,  might  abuse  the  privilege 
for  the  accomplishment  of  sinister  ends. 

"Dr.  W.  The  residence  of  a  British  minister  at  the  capi- 
tal would  have  prevented  any  such  misunderstanding  as  the 
present. 

"Fantai.  It  is  useless  to  insist  on  that  point.  We  may  as 
well  drop  the  subject.  It  has  been  tal)ooed  by  the  high  com- 
missioners. 

" ]^r.  J!'.  Our  minister  has  shown  himself  satisfied  with  the 
credentials  of  the  \-iceroy  ;  but  as  the  Allies  insist  on  the  ap- 
jiointnienl  of  a  plenipoteiUiarv  in  a  strict  sense,  would  it  not  be 
wise  to  vield  llic  point  i^atlier  than  provoke  further  hostilities? 

"Fantai.   The  idea  (jf  a  plenipotentiary  is  incompatible  with 


THE   "ARROW'  WAR  1 59 

the  genius  of  an  absolute  monarchy.  In  all  your  reading  of 
Chinese  history  Iiave  you  ever  met  with  such  a  title? 

"The  fact  being  referred  to  that  Keying  got  it  coined  for 
the  occasion  when  he  signed  treaties  after  the  opium  war, 
these  mandarins  roundly  asserted  that  it  was  forged  by  him- 
self, not  granted  by  the  emperor — as  if  his  use  of  it  could  be 
concealed  from  the  eye  of  majesty.  Before  taking  leave,  Dr. 
Williams  explained  why  the  President's  letter  was  not  delivered 
as  proposed ;  and  this  drew  from  tlie  fantai  an  assurance  that 
the  commissioners  would  urge  the  Council  of  State  to  induce 
the  emperor  to  answer  it  in  equal  terms. 

"  '  Nothing,'  said  Dr.  Williams,  '  will  be  accepted  as  a  suffi- 
cient guarantee  but  an  edict  from  the  emperor  himself.  Fail- 
ing that,  our  negotiations  will  not  be  resumed,  and  the  friendly 
relations  between  our  countries  will  be  materially  impaired.'  " 

On  the  17th  Mr.  Reed  received  a  communication  from  the 
viceroy  inclosing  another  rescript  relating  to  the  President's 
letter.      It  was  as  follows  : 

"  We  shall  be  pleased  to  recei\-e  the  President's  letter  of  state 
and,  as  America  is  not  a  tributary  nation,  we  shall  reply  to  it 
without  making  use  of  any  haughty  or  arrogant  expression, 
reciprocating  his  civility  in  the  same  terms." 

This  was  the  document  that  Mr.  Reed  had  been  laboring 
for  a  fortnight  to  extract  from  the  Cliinese,  and  it  was  worth 
all  the  pains  it  cost.  Besides  securing  our  country  from  the 
old  indignities  of  contemptuous  silence  or  studied  insolence,  it 
contains  an  admission  such  as  the  "  Son  of  Heaven  "  had  till 
that  day  never  made  to  any  other  power,  viz.,  that  "America 
is  not  a  tributary."  In  the  earlier  annals  the  other  treaty 
powers  all  appear  as  tributaries! 

The  condition  sine  qua  iwn  being  complied  with,  !Mr.  Reed 
decided  to  deliver  the  letter  without  further  delav,  assigning 
to  Captain  Dupont  the  honor  of  presenting  it.  Being  directed 
to  arrange  an  interview  for  this  purpose,  I  proceeded  to  the 


i6o  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT// AY 

batteries,  where  I  was  met  by  the  fantai.  That  worthy  neglect- 
ing to  seat  me  on  his  left,  and  asking  rather  unceremoniously 
what  I  had  come  for,  I  first  took  up  the  point  of  etiquette, 
reminding  him  that  irrespective  of  rank  I  was  entitled  to  the 
honors  of  a  guest ;  and  when  he  had  given  me  the  proper  place, 
I  coolly  informed  him  that  the  affair  was  such  that  I  could 
not  communicate  it  to  any  one  lower  than  the  viceroy.  He 
retired,  and,  the  viceroy  coming  in,  the  interview  was  quickly 
arranged,  both  officials  being  somewhat  struck  by  the  cheeki- 
ness  of  a  young  interpreter. 

If  the  President's  letter  were  handed  at  all  to  the  viceroy 
(it  is  now  the  custom  to  hand  such  autographs  directly  to  the 
emperor)  that  should  have  been  done  by  Mr.  Reed.  It  was 
a  mistake  to  yield  his  place  in  a  grave  ceremony  merely  to  pay 
a  compliment  to  Captain  Dupont.  In  the  course  of  conver- 
sation Captain  Dupont  suggested  to  the  viceroy  that  China 
ought  to  send  consuls  to  look  after  her  people  in  the  United 
States. 

Viceroy.  It  is  not  our  custom  to  send  officials  beyond  our 
own  borders. 

Dupont.  But  your  people  on  the  farther  shore  of  the  Pacific 
are  very  numerous,  numbering  several  tens  of  thousands. 

Viceroy.  When  the  emperor  rules  over  so  many  millions, 
what  does  he  care  for  the  few  waifs  that  have  drifted  away  to 
a  foreign  land? 

Djipont.  Those  people  are,  many  of  them,  rich,  having  gath- 
ered gold  in  our  mines.  They  might  be  worth  looking  after 
on  that  account. 

Viceroy.  The  emperor's  wealth  is  beyond  computation  ;  why 
should  he  care  for  those  of  his  sul)jects  who  have  left  their 
home,  or  for  the  sands  they  have  scraped  together? 

Such  was  the  sublime  indifference  at  that  time  manifested 
by  China  toward  her  emigrant  offspring!  Nor  was  it  merely 
indifference.      Her  laws  proliibited  their  going  abroad.     They 


THE   "ARROW    WAR  i6i 

were  not  enforced,  and  our  treaty  of  1868  sanctioned  emigra- 
tion to  the  United  States.  But  the  old  laws  continued  to  be 
a  source  of  vexation  to  wealthy  Chinese  returning  from  the 
East  Indian  Archipelago  until  they  were  repealed  two  years 
ago  at  the  instance  of  the  Chinese  minister  to  England. 

"May  19th.  The  obstacle  in  the  way  of  our  negotiations 
being  removed  by  the  transaction  of  yesterday,  it  was  agreed 
that  they  should  be  resumed  and  carried  on  by  means  of 
deputies.  Tsien,  the  fantai,  was  appointed  to  appear  on  be- 
half of  the  commissioners,  and  Dr.  Williams  was  deputed  by 
Mr.  Reed.  They  met  at  eleven  o'clock  this  a.m.,  at  the  usual 
place  of  conference,  where  we  spent  four  hours  in  continuous 
discussion.  Nor  was  this  a  long  time  for  reviewing  a  pro- 
gram of  thirty-three  articles.  What  those  articles  were  it  is 
not  now  necessary  to  say.  Many  of  them  were  agreed  to, 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  ministers,  when  Mr.  Consul 
Bradley  was  introduced,  and,  handing  a  letter  to  Dr.  W^illiams, 
remarked  that  he  had  conveyed  us  intelligence  that  would 
bring  our  negotiations  to  an  abrupt  termination. 

"  The  letter  was  a  brief  note  from  Mr.  Reed  informing  us 
that  the  Allies  intended  to  storm  the  forts  at  ten  o'clock  the 
next  day. 

"  The  arrival  of  a  messenger  whose  character  and  position 
were  such  as  to  lead  them  to  suppose  that  he  could  not  have 
come  on  any  but  important  business  awakened  the  suspicions 
of  the  mandarins.  At  another  time  it  might  have  been  taken 
as  refen-ing  to  the  business  in  hand,  but  the  feverish  state  of 
apprehension  in  which  they  then  were  naturally  led  them  to 
connect  it  with  the  movements  of  the  Allies.  They  looked 
serious,  but  betrayed  no  agitation  or  curiosity,  and  we,  on  our 
part,  felt  bound  to  avoid  disclosing  by  word,  look,  or  gesture 
a  secret  intrusted  to  our  honor. 

"  Our  first  impulse  was  to  break  off  the  now  useless  discus- 
sion, but  that  would  have  been  throwing  off  the  veil  of  secrecy 


1 62  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

and  acquainting  them  with  the  starth'ng  intelHgence  as  plainly 
as  if  we  had  sounded  a  trumpet  in  the  camp.  We  accordingly 
continued  to  advance  propositions  and  to  refute  objections, 
with  as  much  gravity  as  if  we  were  building  something  more 
durable  than  a  house  of  straw  destined  to  be  scattered  by  the 
tempest  of  the  morrow.  It  was  late,  however,  and  the  declin- 
ing sun  soon  brought  us  an  excuse  for  retiring. 

"  Dr.  Williams  left  with  the  fantai  a  copy  of  his  beautiful 
lithographic  map  of  China,  which  the  old  mandarin  received 
with  great  delight,  saying  that  it  was  the  very  thing  he  wanted 
to  ac(|uaint  him  with  the  geography  of  the  empire  I  A  lead- 
pencil,  which  Dr.  Williams  gave  him  at  the  same  time,  he  pro- 
nounced 'a  precious  stone  of  rare  value,  unknown  in  China.' 
We  also  presented  to  him  and  his  associates  several  tracts  and 
Christian  almanacs.  The  appearance  of  the  latter,  which  con- 
tained the  ten  commandments,  immediately  provoked  such 
expressions  as  they  had  already  elicited  more  tlian  once.  '  Take 
them,'  said  the  mandarins,  '  to  the  English  and  French,  to  teach 
them  not  to  covet  or  to  kill.'  They  asked  Avhen  we  would 
meet  them  again.  Poor  fellows!  it  would  have  taken  more 
than  human  ken  to  answer  that  cjuestion." 

The  limit  of  time  having  exi)ired,  the  gunboats  began  to 
bombard  the  forts  at  the  hour  named.  The  Cliinese  batteries 
replied  with  vigor,  many  of  their  shots  whizzing  over  the  deck 
of  the  "Anteloj)e,"  which,  at  low  tide,  was  hard  aground  in 
an  ugly  position  between  the  combatants.  (\i])tain  l^upont 
and  many  of  his  officers  had  come  in  from  the  frigate  to  wit- 
ness the  fight.  It  amused  me  to  see  how  they  dodged  when 
tlie  first  ball  fiew  over  us.  though  I  dodged  too.  The  know- 
ledge that  when  thunder  is  lieard  the  bolt  has  passed  by  does 
not  prevent  this  involuntarv  action  of  the  lutiscles.  As  succcs- 
si\-e  balls  came  Inulliiig  throiigli  the  aii"  in  (Hii'  direction  a  cry 
was  raised,  "'I'hev  are  firing  at  usi"  lint  tlic  alarm  was  soon 
allayed  by  (;bser\ing  that  the  shots  came  at  regular  interwals 


THE    "ARROW'    WAR  163 

of  five  or  ten  minutes,  evidently  from  one  gun,  and  tliat,  pass- 
ing over  us,  they  all  fell  in  the  water  some  hundreds  of  yards 
beyond.  That  gun,  as  we  afterward  discovered,  was  fixed  on 
an  immovable  frame!  Considering  their  poor  artillery,  the 
Chinese  fought  well.  Instead  of  striking  in  half  an  hour,  as 
some  had  wagered,  they  held  out  for  two  hours  and  a  quar- 
ter. During  this  time  the  wooden  structures  upon  and  within 
the  batteries  were  fired  by  bursting  shells,  and  the  ground  ren- 
dered untenable  for  the  defenders.  Wherever  a  gun  con- 
tinued to  reply  it  was  dismounted  by  a  well-aimed  bomb.  At 
length  the  Chinese  camp  lapsed  into  silence,  and  disappeared 
in  a  blinding  sheet  of  smoke.  No  outward  sign  of  submission 
was  given ;  the  flags  continued  to  wave  until  they  were  shot 
away,  or  consumed  by  the  flames. 

Soon  after  the  last  shot  from  the  shore,  the  victors  took 
possession  of  the  field  without  further  resistance ;  and  an  hour 
later  I  joined  a  company  of  our  officers  who  w^ent  to  inspect 
the  battle-field.  It  was  a  sickening  sight.  Trails  of  blood 
were  to  be  seen  in  all  directions,  and  in  some  places  it  stood 
in  pools,  while  the  corpses  of  soldiers  were  roasting  in  their 
burning  barracks.  Some  headless  trunks  told  us  that  they  had 
been  cut  down  by  their  own  people ;  and  some  were  found 
chained  to  their  guns,  pierced  by  foreign  bullets. 

The  most  interesting  objects  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
victors  were  two  copper  cannon  and  a  set  of  silken  scrolls. 
The  guns  were  eighteen  feet  in  length  and  of  exquisite  work- 
manship. Each  bore  the  following  legend  in  large  charac- 
ters :  Oii-i-ta-tsiang  kuin  ("This  is  the  general  who  quells  bar- 
barians "). 

The  scrolls  were  white  and  blue,  the  colors  of  mourning, 
and  had  evidently  decorated  the  funeral  chamber  of  a  great 
lady.  They  were  picked  up  in  apartments  occupied  by  the 
viceroy  by  Captain  Saumarez,  of  the  gunboat  "  Cormorant," 
who  requested  me  to  translate  them.     The  lady,  however. 


1 64  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

could  not  have  belonged  to  Tan's  family,  as  his  residence 
was  at  Paotingfu,  and  there  is  no  greater  breach  of  official 
etiquette  than  to  carry  the  insignia  of  mourning  to  a  post  of 
pubhc  duty.  Some  of  the  scrolls  are  worth  transcribing  just 
to  show  the  estimation  in  which  a  woman  is  sometimes  held  in 
China.  They  are  in  parallel  couplets,  and  each  pair  forms  a 
strophe  of  an  elegy.  The  whole  poem  describes  her  influence 
in  the  various  relations  of  life. 

I.  "Possessing  rank  by  imperial  gift,  favor  rested  on  her 
door-posts  and  grace  on  her  household.  Decorated  by  impe- 
rial decree,  her  virtues  were  diffused  at  home  and  her  reputa- 
tion published  abroad." 

•  2.  "  Exciting  the  studies  of  her  son,  as  with  a  stimulant  of 
bear's  gall,  her  excellent  example  is  worthy  of  imitation. 
Clothed  in  shining  vestments,  she  has  gone  up  to  the  true  life ; 
and  her  benevolent  countenance — where  shall  we  look  for  it?  " 

3.  "  Having  taught  her  son  to  follow  her  example  and  keep 
to  the  classics,  she  saw  him  pluck  the  cassia  [the  degree  of 
A.M.].  Aiding  her  husband  to  display  his  virtues,  her  gentle 
influence  flowed  over  her  kindred,  and  she  commanded  the 
hearts  of  her  relations." 


CHAPTER   XI 


TIENTSIN   AND    THE    TREATIES 


Tartar  plenipotentiaries  — Pourparlers  and  signature — Episodes,  tragic  and 
comic — The  whole  a  mirage 

"  Two  truths  are  told 
As  happy  prologues  to  the  swelling  act 
Of  this  imperial  theme." 

ONE  is  the  occupation  of  Canton,  the  second  the  capture 
of  Taku.  What  will  be  the  next?  What  will  the  Chinese 
do  now?  Will  they  make  a  stand  at  some  more  defensible  point 
beyond  the  reach  of  gunboats  and  heavy  ordnance?  Will 
they  hold  Tientsin  and  block  the  way  to  it  by  sinking  junks  in 
the  narrow,  tortuous  river?  For  a  day  or  two  these  questions 
were  much  discussed,  but  in  less  than  a  week  they  were  solved 
ambulando,  some  of  the  gunboats  moving  up  to  the  city  with- 
out opposition.  The  well-to-do  people  and  the  women  had 
fled,  showing  that  they  had  not  heard  of  the  humane  treat- 
ment accorded  to  captured  cities  in  the  former  war  and  to 
Canton  in  this.  They  expected,  as  in  Chinese  warfare,  that 
pillage,  murder,  and  violence  would  be  the  order  of  the  day. 
The  country  people,  however,  care  little  which  party  gains  the 
victory.  One  of  the  gunboats  running  aground  on  the  way 
up,  four  hundred  peasants  were  hired  to  get  her  afloat,  and 
they  tugged  away  as  lustily  as  if  they  had  not  been  helping 
the  enemies  of  their  sovereign.  To  speak  of  the  Chinese  gen- 
erally, patriotism  is  a  word  not  found  in  their  vocabulary. 

165 


i66 


A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 


All  they  know  of  it,  in  its  broader  sense,  is  to  boast  of  China 
and  vilify  foreigners.  In  lieu  of  it,  they  inculcate  loyalty  to 
the  government,  a  sentiment  chiefly  confined  to  official  classes. 
Their  local  attachments  to  clan,  district,  and  province  are  ex- 
ceedingly strong ;  but  between  these  are  hereditary  antipathies 


GfNnnATS    IN   THK    GRAN-p    CAN'AI.  ;    TAOIST   TEMPLE    AT  THE   JfNCTION. 


which  an  invader  miglit  easily  turn  to  account.  It  is  to  the 
absence  of  the  fiery  passion  of  patriotism  and  to  the  support 
derived  from  the  sober  sentiment  of  loyalty  that  the  reigning 
dynasty  owes  its  long  tenure ;  for  the  average  Chinaman  has 
no  politics.  His  mind  is  free  from  the  most  disquieting  of  all 
subjects,  and  it  may  be  said  of  him,  with  a  slight  modification, 
as  of  the  Frenchman  under  the  Bourl)ons, 

"  lie's  liri])]))-,  rc-ij^ni  wliocvcr  may, 
And  idls  and  sliU'ps  liis  misery  away." 

]'"or  the  neutrals  tlic  situation  is  a  little  humiliating.     Their 
card-lu)use-neg(jtiations  have  l)een  "  knocked  into  pi."     Will 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  167 

they  wait  till  the  belligerents  have  signed  a  peace  before  again 
trying  their  hand,  or  will  the  latter,  as  in  most  wars,  object  to 
their  presence?  Trusting  largely  to  moral  force,  Lord  Elgin 
desired  their  cooperation  as  well  as  that  of  his  militant  aUies, 
and  allowed  them  the  freest  facilities  for  communication,  act- 
ing, in  fact,  as  if  a  state  of  regular  war  did  not  exist.  The 
neutrals,  on  their  part  (especially  the  Russian),  desirous  of 
keeping  an  eye  on  the  proceedings  of  the  English  and  French, 
lost  no  time  in  following  them  to  their  new  scene  of  operations. 
The  "  Antelope  "  having  to  wait  for  higher  water,  both  min- 
isters ascended  the  river  on  the  Russian  steamer  "  America." 

"We  were  hospitably  welcomed  by  the  civic  authorities,  and 
the  residence  of  a  salt  merchant  overlooking  the  river  was 
placed  at  our  disposal.  Mountains  of  salt 
covered  with  thatch  were  visible  on  the 
farther  bank.  It  was  the  property  of  the 
government,  which  makes  a  monopoly  of 
this  commodity  and  derives  a  large  part 
of  its  revenues  from  that  source. 

A  letter,  on  red  paper  and  in  a  red 
cover,  announced  the  appointment  of  two  ^v         Jj^ 

new  ministers  soon  to  arrive  from  Peking.         ^lotl      1^^ 
They  were  Kweiliang,  a  Manchu,  senior       **  *'  >l     ▼  ^^• 
grand  secretary  and  Hwashana,  a  ]\Ion-      joint  card  of  kwf.iliang 

<-'  -'    '  '  AND  HWASHANA. 

gol,   field-marshal  of  tlie   blue-bordered 

banner.     Their  cards  accompanied  the  communication,  and 

this  time  the  title  of  plenipotentiary  was  not  wanting. 

The  Haikwang,  or  "  Sea-light  Temple,"  two  miles  from  the 
city,  was  fixed  on  for  the  place  of  meeting.  The  new  minis- 
ters appeared  with  a  pompous  retinue.  The  old  ones  did  not 
show  themselves  ;  but  they  were  beliind  the  scenes  pulling  the 
wires  and  coaching  the  "  plenipotentiaries."  The  latter  had 
requested  that  they  might  be  present  at  this  interview,  but  Mr. 
Reed  objected  that  he  could  not  meet  them  as  long  as  their 


l68  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

promise  to  procure  an  answer  to  the  President's  letter  was  un- 
fulfilled. 

After  the  usual  compliments  were  exchanged,  Mr.  Reed 
handed  me  a  paper  which  he  desired  me  to  render  in  Chinese, 
at  the  same  time  informing  the  commissioners  that  it  contained 
a  summary  of  his  views,  which  he  had  placed  in  writing  for 
the  sake  of  precision,  and  requesting  them  to  listen  attentively 
and  defer  questions  until  they  should  hear  it  to  the  end.  Dur- 
ing the  reading  their  clerks  were  busily  engaged  in  noting 
down  the  several  points. 

The  new  ministers  assented  in  general  terms  to  all  of  them, 
and  proceeded  to  comply  with  the  demand  expressed  under 
the  first  head.  Taking  up  a  package,  enveloped  in  a  wrapper 
of  yellow  silk,  Kweiliang  slowly  removed  the  cover,  disclosing 
a  sheet  of  paper  of  the  same  imperial  color,  which  he  raised 
reverentially  above  his  head.  He  then  presented  the  sacred 
document  to  Mr.  Reed  for  his  inspection,  accompanied  by  a 
copy  to  be  retained.  This  was  the  edict  for  which  so  much 
ink  and  so  much  blood  had  been  .shed  at  Taku.  It  contained 
the  all-important  word  insisted  on  by  the  allied  ministers,  but 
its  contents  showed  that,  while  the  emperor  yielded  to  neces- 
sity in  inscribing  a  new  title  on  his  oificial  register,  he  was  still 
unwilling  to  introduce  a  new  principle  into  his  political  system. 
While  nominating  Kweiliang  and  Hwashana  as  "plenipoten- 
tiaries "  he  confined  their  discretion  within  very  narrow  limits, 
empowering  them  to  concede  "only  what  might  be  reasonable 
and  mutually  advantageous,"  and  restraining  them  from  yield- 
ing "  anything  detrimental  to  China."  Who  but  his  Majesty 
was  to  decide  on  the  "reasonable,  advantageous,  and  detri- 
mental "  ?  Were  not  these  cautionary  conditions  a  revocation 
of  tlie  very  powers  conferred,  when  their  necessary  effect  must 
be  to  lead  his  ministers  to  ascertain  beforehand  the  will  of  the 
emperor  on  every  important  j)oint? 

Returning  the  ambiguous  document,  Mr.  Reed  in  turn  ex- 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  169 

hibited  his  own  credentials  and  placed  a  translation  of  them 
in  the  hands  of  the  commissioners.  He  then  proposed  that 
for  the  sake  of  expedition  the  articles  of  the  new  treaty  should 
be  referred  for  consideration  to  deputies  under  the  direction 
of  the  ministers,  and  that  the  ministers  themseh^es  should 
only  meet  to  sign  and  seal  the  document  when  it  should  be 
completed.  This  being  assented  to,  Mr.  Reed  named  Dr. 
Williams  as  his  representative,  and  desired  to  know  whom 
they  would  appoint  to  meet  him.  Kweiliang  named  Pien,  a 
shrewd,  thin-visaged,  thoughtful  man,  who  had  made  some 
figure  in  the  negotiations  at  Taku.  Mr.  Reed  objected  on  the 
ground  that,  wearing  only  a  crystal  button,  he  was  not  of  suf- 
ficient rank  to  be  pitted  against  the  second  man  of  our  lega- 
tion. Kweiliang  spoke  of  a  high  official  in  the  suite  of  Hwa- 
shana,  and  Mr.  Reed  desiring  to  see  him,  he  was  called  out. 
A  short,  vulgar-looking  Tartar  stepped  from  the  crowd  of 
officials  with  the  air  of  a  bashful  school-boy.  This  was  a 
Chinese  introduction,  and  it  left  us  ignorant  alike  of  his  name 
and  position. 

"What  is  your  honorable  name?"  I  asked  on  behalf  of  Mr, 
Reed.  "  Chang,"  was  the  blunt  reply.  "And  your  office?  " 
To  save  his  modesty  another  answered  for  him :  "  He  is  an 
adjutant-general  of  the  Hankuin  and  a  hereditary  noble — a 
tsze^  or  viscount."  This  was  dignity  enough  to  atone  for  the 
want  of  brains,  and  the  ruby  that  flashed  on  the  crown  of  his 
cap  shed  a  luster  over  his  stohd  countenance.  Mr.  Reed  was 
satisfied,  and  merely  hinted  that  Pien  might  be  associated  with 
the  viscount  as  a  kind  of  prompter. 

The  hour  for  the  meeting  of  the  deputies  being  agreed  on, 
Mr.  Reed  complained  of  the  emperor's  delay  in  sending  the 
promised  answer  to  the  President's  letter,  and  insisted  that  it 
should  be  forthcoming  at  their  next  meeting,  which  he  pro- 
posed should  take  place  on  the  ensuing  Thursday ;  but  Thurs- 
day was  the  last  day  of  a  short  month,  and  they  preferred 


170  A    CYCLE    OF  CArilAV 

Friday,  not  knowing  (heathen  that  they  are)  that  Friday  is 
equally  unlucky. 

Owing  to  the  failure  of  the  "  Antelope  "  to  arrive  at  the  time 
expected,  Wx.  Reed  was  accompanied  on  this  occasion  by  only 
a  small  guard  of  marines.  But  the  absence  of  any  force  which 
might  be  construed  into  either  menace  or  ostentation  was  alto- 
gether befitting  the  pacific  attitude;  which  he  had  constantly 
maintained. 

In  a  few  days  he  was  notified  that  the  imperial  letter  had 
arrived,  and  a  day  was  set  for  its  delivery.  On  descending 
from  his  sedan,  he  was  conducted  by  Kweiliang  to  a  table  cur- 
tained with  yellow  satin,  on  which,  supported  by  a  frame,  lay 
a  wooden  tube  of  the  imperial  color  carved  with  imperial  em- 
blems. This  was  the  long-expected  letter.  The  mandarins 
eyed  it  with  awful  reverence,  and  spoke  of  it  with  suppressed 
voice.  They  stood  for  a  moment  embarrassed  and  hesitating, 
and  Mr.  Reed  thought  they  were  waiting  for  him  to  kneel.  It 
had  indeed  been  privately  proposed  that  he  should  do  so,  and 
he  had  refused.  But  how  could  he  be  sure  that  they  were  not 
bent  on  exacting  some  other  humiliating  rite?  To  forestall 
this  he  said,  "  I  shall  ol)serve  no  other  ceremony  than  that  with 
which  the  President's  letter  was  received  by  the  viceroy." 
They  assented,  and  Kweiliang,  raising  the  tube  in  both  hands, 
placed  it  in  those  of  Mr.  Reed,  who,  respectfully  elevating  it, 
gave  it  in  charge  to  lu's  son.  The  business  of  the  day  being 
thus  summarily  despatched,  Mr.  Reed  and  his  suite  were 
shown  to  seats,  while  the  mandarins,  all  but  a  few  fif  the  high- 
est, remained  standing.  On  this  occasion  1'an  and  one  of 
his  colleagues  made  their  appearance.  'Hie  haughty  viceroy 
looked  crestfallen.  Tie  retained  his  buttr)n,  but  his  proud 
plume  was  gone  ;  and  he  hung  his  head  as  though  conscious 
that  he  had  forfeited  tliat.  And  so  he  had,  according  to 
Chinese  law;  but  in  his  memorial  reporting  the  loss  of  the 
forts,  while  accusing  himself  and  begging  for  punislunent,  he 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  171 

succeeded  in  throwing  the  blame  on  others  who  were  more 
(h'rectly  responsible.  It  was  also  rumored  that  he  made  the 
emperor  believe  that  the  forts  would  have  been  impregnable 
but  for  a  high  tide,  which  crippled  the  defense  and  favored 
the  attack.  At  this  time  his  fate  was  undecided,  but  eventu- 
ally he  escaped  with  no  heavier  penalty  than  being  stripped  of 
his  viceroyalty  and  sent  into  a  brief  exile. 

Kweiliang,  the  first  commissioner,  was  an  old  man  of  sev- 
enty-four, of  kindly  aspect  and  gentle  demeanor ;  his  colleague, 
Hwashana,  some  twenty  years  his  junior,  had  a  martial  air  and 
something  of  the  brusqueness  of  a  soldier.  The  two  were  spoken 
of  as  Kwei  and  Hwa,  the  former  signifying  "  Cassia  "  and  the 
latter  "  Flower,"  a  combination  not  unfitting  for  the  Flowery 
Land,  as  they  fondly  call  their  country.  A  third  "  plenipoten- 
tiary," whose  name  had  long  been  known  to  the  world,  was 
also  unexpectedly  present.  This  was  Keying,  who  made  peace 
with  the  British  at  Nanking  in  1842,  and  signed  the  French 
and  American  treaties  at  Canton  in  1844.  To  our  great  sur- 
prise and  to  the  evident  mortification  of  the  other  commission- 
ers, he  had  suddenly  come  to  life  a  few  days  previous.  Ar- 
riving as  a  nondescript  adjunct  to  the  new  commission,  he  was 
now  announced  by  Kweiliang  as  "  plenipotentiary."  A  decree, 
he  said,  had  just  come  down  elevating  Keying  to  a  rank  coor- 
dinate with  himself.  The  original  he  was  unable  to  exhibit, 
as  it  contained  other  matters  of  state,  but  he  would  send  a 
copy  of  the  portion  relating  to  Keying. 

Mr.  Reed  advised  the  commissioners  to  avert  threatened 
calamity  by  prompt  concessions  to  the  Allies,  and  as  the  day 
for  signing  his  treaty  was  drawing  near,  he  inquired  whether 
it  was  their  wish  that  he  should  leave  Tientsin  immediately 
afterward.  "  Oh  no!  "  they  replied  ;  "we  entreat  you  to  delay 
your  departure  in  order  to  help  us  in  our  difficulties." 

Returning  to  the  rooms  of  the  legation,  Mr.  Reed  removed 
the  seal  from  the  mysterious  tube  and  drew  forth  a  magnificent 


172  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

scroll  four  feet  in  length  by  two  in  breadth.  Its  margin  was 
embellished  with  prancing  dragons  and  birds  of  Paradise. 
Within  this  fancy  border  was  the  imperial  letter  in  Manchu 
and  Chinese.  The  tube  or  case  was  of  bamboo,  and  the  paper 
of  the  same  material.  If  his  Majesty  had  intended  to  send 
with  his  epistle  an  object  fitted  to  illustrate  the  habits  of  his 
people  he  could  not  have  selected  anything  more  appropriate 
than  a  cylinder  of  this  magnificent  grass.  The  variety  of  uses 
to  which  it  is  applied  by  Chinese  ingenuity  is  endless.  They 
make  masts  of  it  for  their  smaller  junks,  and  twist  it  into  cables 
for  their  larger  ones  ;  they  weave  it  into  matting  for  floors,  and 
make  it  into  rafters  for  roofs ;  they  sit  at  table  on  bamboo 
chairs,  and  eat  the  tender  shoots  of  bamboo  with  bamboo 
chop-sticks ;  the  musician  blows  a  bamboo  flute,  and  the 
watchman  beats  a  bamboo  rattle ;  criminals  are  confined  in  a 
bamboo  cage,  and  beaten  with  bamboo  rods ;  paper  is  made 
of  bamboo  fiber,  and  pencils  of  a  joint  of  bamboo,  in  which  is 
inserted  a  tuft  of  goat's  hair ;  despatches,  written  on  such  bam- 
boo paper,  are  carried,  like  the  emperor's  letter,  in  a  bamboo 
tube  slung  across  the  shoulders  of  a  mounted  courier. 
The  following  is  the  letter,  slightly  abbreviated  : 

"  We,  the  Autocrat  of  the  Great  Pure  Empire,  wish  health  to 
the  President  of  the  Great  United  States. 

"  Having  received  the  commands  of  Heaven  to  rule  the  cir- 
cuit of  all  lands,  we  view  with  the  same  benevolence  all  peoples 
within  and  without  the  wide  seas. 

"Since  our  mutual  intercourse  was  settled  bv  treaty  more  than 
ten  years  ago  nothing  occurred  to  disturl)  the  j)eare  until  the 
English  and  French  last  year,  disregarding  their  treaties,  vio- 
lated their  obedience  at  Canton.  The  ministers  of  the  United 
States  f)hserved  their  obligations  and  gave  them  no  aid.  We 
are  murh  ])leased  1)y  their  conduct. 

"The  United  States  minister  has  now  handed  up  the  letter 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  173 

under  reply,  in  which  your  respectful  expressions  manifest  the 
same  friendly  feeling.  In  it  you  desire  that  your  minister  may 
reside  near  our  court ;  but  there  are  many  things  in  such  an 
arrangement  which  cannot  be  effected  without  difficulty. 
Hitherto  the  foreign  envoys  have  all  come  from  countries  that 
pay  tribute ;  but  the  United  States  is  numbered  among  our 
friends,  and  if,  on  the  arrival  of  your  envoy,  anything  unto- 
ward should  happen  [scil.,  any  dispute  about  ceremonies],  it 
might  mar  the  harmony  of  our  relations. 

"  Moreover,  our  Middle  Kingdom  has  no  ministers  residing 
in  other  countries,  and  arrangements  of  this  kind  ought  to  be 
reciprocal. 

"  The  minister  of  the  United  States  is  now  at  Tientsin,  where 
he  is  negotiating  with  our  high  officers,  and  their  intercourse 
has  been  mutually  agreeable.  As  soon  as  their  deliberations 
are  concluded  he  should  return  to  Canton  to  attend  to  the 
commercial  duties  of  his  office  as  usual.  This  will  tend  to 
perpetuate  the  friendship  of  our  countries,  and  we  think  that 
you,  the  President,  will  be  pleased  with  such  arrangement, 

[Emperor's  seal.j 

"  HiENFUXG,  Eighth  year,  fourth  moon,  twenty-sixth  day  [June  7, 
1858]." 

A  letter  of  Hienfung's  grandfather  to  George  III.  in  1816  be- 
gins :  "  The  Supreme  Potentate,  who  has  received  from  Heaven 
the  government  of  the  world,  issues  this  imperial  mandate  to 
the  King  of  England.  Let  him  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
it."  Though  both  open  with  an  assumption  of  universal  sway 
—  a  set  phrase,  which  will  continue  to  be  used  as  long  as  the 
dynasty  exists — the  earlier  is  a  "  mandate  "  to  a  vassal,  the 
later  an  epistle  to  a  "  friend,"  in  which  all  claim  to  suze- 
rainty is  implicitly  renounced.  This  is  progress,  and  the  man 
who  elicited  this  expression  deserves  no  little  credit  for  his 
efforts. 


174  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

The  reappearance  of  Keying,  and  his  sudden  exit  from  the 
diplomatic  arena,  form  a  tragic  episode  in  the  history  of  our 
proceedings.  The  young  emperor  began  his  reign  by  a  violent 
recoil  from  the  policy  of  his  father.  As  he  could  not  openly 
repudiate  the  treaties  made  by  Taokwang,  he  vented  his  wrath 
on  the  ministers  responsible  for  advising  such  disgraceful  con- 
cessions. The  chief  of  these  was  Keying.  The  decree  by 
which  he  was  struck  down  in  1850  will  serve  to  show  the  spirit 
of  the  government : 

"  As  for  Keying,  his  unpatriotic  and  pusillanimous  conduct 
is  to  us  a  matter  of  unmixed  astonishment.  When  he  was  at 
Canton  he  seemed  only  anxious  to  make  our  people  serve  the 
interests  of  foreigners.  Recently,  during  a  private  audience, 
he  spoke  to  us  of  the  English,  how  greatly  they  were  to  be 
dreaded,  urging  a  mild  and  conciliatory  policy,  not  suspecting 
that  we  were  aware  of  his  knavish  object,  which  was  nothing 
else  but  to  obtain  rank  and  emolument  for  himself.  The  more 
he  speaks  the  more  does  he  expose  himself,  so  that  at  the  last 
we  have  come  to  entertain  for  him  the  same  contempt  we  feel 
for  a  yelping  cur." 

Whether  or  not  he  descended  into  private  life  breathing  the 
prayer  of  Aristides,  that  his  country  might  never  need  to  recall 
him,  it  is  a  striking  proof  of  the  perplexity  of  the  emperor  that 
in  this  crisis  he  thought  of  the  old  servant  whom  he  had  treated 
so  shamefully.  Keying,  on  his  part,  was  profuse  in  professions 
of  ability  to  deal  with  the  "unruly  barbarians."  He  was  ex- 
pected to  aid  the  inexperience  of  Kwei  and  Hwa,  but  his  own 
purpose  was  to  supersede  them. 

On  the  loth  instant  he  called  on  our  minister  at  his  lodgings, 
and  from  the  tenor  of  the  interview  it  was  evident  that  he  had 
retrograded  from  the  liberal  ideas  he  was  believed  to  entertain 
fifteen  years  before.  He  informed  Mr.  Reed  that  the  emper- 
or's reply  to  the  President's  letter  had  arrived  and  would  be 
delivered  the  next  day.      It  would,  he  said,  be  a  joyful  day 


TIENTSIN  AXD    THE    TREATIES  175 

for  the  United  States  when  an  epistle  from  the  great  emper- 
or should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  American  minister," 
and  proposed  that  Mr.  Reed  should  rehearse  the  ceremony  of 
the  occasion.  The  latter  declining  to  do  this,  "  Of  course  you 
will  receive  it  on  your  knees,"  he  added.  "  Not  I,"  said  Mr. 
Reed  ;  "  I  kneel  to  no  other  than  the  Lord  of  heaven."  "  But 
the  emperor  is  the  same  as  God,"  said  Keying. 

Without  noticing  this  prime  article  of  the  mandarin's  creed, 
which  makes  the  emperor  grander  than  the  Grand  Lama,  Mr. 
Reed  cut  the  matter  short  by  declaring  that  he  would  show  no 
form  of  respect  which  Commissioner  Tan  had  not  shown  in  re- 
ceiving the  letter  of  the  President.  Another  proposal  of  the 
old  mandarin  was  still  more  absurd  and  puerile.  He  requested 
that  Mr.  Reed  should  "  move  his  steamer  a  little  farther  down 
the  river,"  saying  that  "  it  would  quiet  the  heart  of  the  em- 
peror "  and  "augment  his  own  influence"  —  arguments  that 
were  not  as  heavy  as  the  anchor  of  the  "  Antelope." 

Mr.  Reed  returned  his  visit  the  next  day,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  a  messenger  from  Kweiliang  brought  the  news 
that  Keying  had  set  out  for  the  capital. 

I^ord  Elgin  had  refused  to  meet  him,  throwing  in  his  face 
a  private  memorial  of  his  found  at  Canton,  which  betrayed  a 
duplicity  unavoidable  in  those  who  are  intermediaries  between 
this  conservative  empire  and  the  aggressive  West.  Finding 
that  his  name  had  lost  its  magic,  he  imputed  his  defeat  to  his 
colleagues,  and  set  off  to  explain  matters  in  person. 

They,  dreading  his  machinations,  resolved  to  be  beforehand. 
Despatching  a  fleet  messenger,  they  denounced  him  for  desert- 
ing his  post  without  orders.  He  entered  the  gates  a  prisoner, 
and  received  from  the  emperor  the  present  of  a  silken  scarf, 
which  meant  permission  to  hang  himself.  To  appreciate  this 
mark  of  imperial  favor — a  favor  not  unlike  that  which  Nero 
bestowed  on  Seneca  —  one  must  take  into  account  the  Chinese 
horror  of  decapitation.     It  not  only  secured  that  his  body 


176  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

should  return  entire  to  Mother  Earth,  but  exempted  his  family 
from  any  stain  of  disgrace. 

After  the  opening  interview  Dr.  Williams  and  I  repaired 
daily  to  the  temple  to  meet  the  deputies  of  the  Chinese  minis- 
ters, the  results  of  each  day's  conference  being  reported  to  our 
respective  chiefs.  Yushan,  one  of  the  junior  deputies,  was  a 
fine  specimen  of  the  Manchu  race.  Handsome  and  clever,  I 
was  much  struck  by  the  winning  frankness  of  his  manner ;  nor 
was  he  less  impressed  by  something  in  me — just  what,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say  ;  the  novelty,  perhaps,  of  meeting  a  foreigner 
who  was  neither  a  savage  nor  a  fool.  His  father  had  been 
governor  of  Hi ;  his  ideas  of  foreigners  were  therefore  based 
on  what  he  had  seen  of  Turkomans  and  Kalmucks.  On  part- 
ing I  gave  him  my  book  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity, 
which  disposed  him  to  be  friendly  to  our  missionaries  in  two 
of  the  cities  of  Shantung  where  he  was  afterward  prefect. 
When  he  returned  to  the  capital  he  sought  me  out,  and  our 
relations  grew  more  intimate  with  years  until  he  closed  his 
career  by  being  governor  of  the  province  of  Shansi.  Just  be- 
fore leaving  for  his  high  post  he  gave  me  a  pair  of  scrolls  in- 
scribed with  a  couplet  in  praise  of  me,  or  rather  of  our  friend- 
ship : 

"  His  learning  is  vast,  and  all  his  teachings  are  in  harmony  with  truth. 
He  has  friends  far  and  near,  but  I  am  the  most  intimate." 

Yushan  was  accustoined  to  call  me  brother,  and  he  over- 
stepped the  etiquette  of  his  country  to  introduce  to  me  his 
nieces,  who  were  young  ladies,  along  with  his  own  children. 
He  frequently  said,  Pi-ts yii yj/cn  ("We  must  have  been  kins- 
men in  a  former  state  "). 

"June  nth.  Some  people  came  to  complain  that  the  in- 
habitants had  been  frightened  away  from  a  whole  street  by  a 
company  of  British  soldiers,  who  pr(;ceeded  to  ])lunder  the 
empty  dwellings.     They  were  recommended  to  petition  Ad- 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES 


177 


miral  Seymour,  from  whose  justice  and  humanity  they  would 
be  sure  of  obtaining  redress. 

"  This  is  the  first  case  of  disorder  that  I  have  heard  charged 
on  the  British  troops  at  Tientsin,  and  on  subsequent  investiga- 
tion (at  which  I  assisted  by  request  of  Captain  Hall,  R.N.) 
the  damage  proved  to  be  insignificant.  The  depredations  of  a 
Chinese  garrison,  if  such 
a  thing  existed  at  Tient- 
sin, would  far  exceed  the 
license  of  these  barba- 
rian victors. 

"  This  reminds  me  of 
a  beggarly  present  which 
Mr.  Reed  received  from 
the  gentry  of  Tientsin  a 
few  days  ago.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  sheep,  two 
jars  of  rice-wine,  a  few 
cakes  and  fruits,  with 
eight  broad-brimmed 
straw  hats,  one  for  him- 
self and  one  for  each  of 

his  suite.  The  reason  assigned  for  this  complimentary  oflFer- 
ing  was  that  the  '  American  soldiers  [a  guard  of  a  dozen  ma- 
rines] had  been  so  well  commanded  that  the  people  had  been 
able  to  remain  in  quiet.'  " 

"June  1 2th.  Paid  a  visit  to  the  kung-kiuau  (hotel)  of  the 
Chinese  plenipotentiaries,  which  was  equally  unexpected  by 
them  and  unintended  by  us.     The  circumstances  were  these : 

"  Mr.  Reed's  colored  valet  and  a  Chinese  servant  of  Captain 
Dupont  were  walking  near  the  city  wall,  when  they  were  as- 
saulted by  a  mob.  The  latter  was  dragged  away,  but  the 
former  succeeded  in  escaping  with  the  loss  of  some  of  his 
clothing.     Fearing  the  poor  boy  might  be  torn  to  pieces  by 


WINE    FOR    THE    MINISTER. 


1 78  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

the  populace,  Captain  Dupont  ordered  his  handful  of  marines 
to  seize  their  arms,  and  sallied  forth  at  their  head,  determined, 
if  possible,  to  effect  a  rescue.  I  accompanied  the  gallant 
captain,  as  without  some  one  through  whom  to  communicate 
the  Chinese  would  have  been  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  ob- 
ject of  this  demonstration.  A  quick  march  of  a  mile  brought 
us  to  the  neighborhood  where  the  assault  was  said  to  have 
taken  place,  but  we  could  hear  no  tidings  of  the  missing  boy. 
Passing  in  front  of  a  large  building  which  was  evidently  an 
official  residence,  it  occurred  to  us  to  inquire  there  ;  for  who 
so  likely  as  the  mandarins  to  be  acquainted  with  the  circum- 
stances of  a  street  riot  ? 

"  Approaching  the  door,  a  whole  cohort  of  mandarins  of  the 
lower  grades  made  their  appearance.  They  had  heard  of  the 
disturbance,  and,  promising  that  the  boy  should  be  immedi- 
ately restored,  begged  us  to  go  back.  With  this  request 
Captain  Dupont  declined  to  comply,  and,  as  he  was  about  to 
advance,  they  became  apprehensive  of  further  trouble  and 
invited  us  to  come  in.  Captain  Dupont  consented,  thinking 
that  would  stimulate  them  to  prosecute  the  search.  As  the 
huge  doors  closed  on  us,  marines  and  all,  the  street  was 
jammed  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  with  a  tumultuous 
crowd.  It  was  easv  to  perceive  that  their  excitement  was  occa- 
sioned by  something  more  than  the  appearance  in  the  street  of 
a  few  armed  foreigners,  but  what  that  something  was  we  were 
at  a  loss  to  divine. 

"  Ushered  into  a  spacious  and  well-furnished  hall,  the 
marines  mounting  guard  in  the  vestibule,  we  were  served  with 
tea,  fruits,  and  confectionery.  In  a  few  minutes  Major  Chang 
sliowed  his  fann'liar  physiognomy  and  endea\'orcd  to  qm'et  our 
;i|)I)rehensions  res])ecting  the  safety  of  the  I)oy.  Cai)taiii  Du- 
pont insisted  that  tlie  boy  should  be  brouglit  there,  and  we 
were  preparing  to  make  ourselves  comfortable  until  the  de- 
mand should  be  complied  with,  when  it  occurred  to  me  to  in- 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TKEATJES  179 

quire  to  what  officer  we  were  indebted  for  our  unexpected 
entertainment. 

"  '  Kwei  Chung-tang,'  was  the  reply.  *  This  is  the  residence 
of  Kweiliang,  the  minister  of  state.'  We  were  confounded, 
not  that  we  entertained  such  an  awful  reverence  for  a  minister 
of  state,  but  at  the  awkwardness  of  our  predicament.  We  had 
'  caught  a  Tartar,'  and  Kweiliang  was  a  larger  one  than  we 
had  any  idea  of  capturing.  We  attempted  to  apologize  for 
our  rude  intrusion ;  but  as  well  might  Admiral  Seymour  have 
apologized  for  finding  himself  in  the  yamen  of  Commissioner 
Yeh  after  breaching  the  walls  of  Canton.  It  is  true  the  doors 
were  opened  to  us  and  we  were  invited  in,  but  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  convince  the  Chinese  that  we  did  not  in- 
tentionally direct  our  march  to  the  gate  of  their  chief  minister, 
///  tcrroreni;  and  the  threat  of  Captain  Dupont,  that  '  he  would 
allow  an  hour  for  the  restitution  of  his  servant,  in  default  of 
which  he  would  repeat  the  visit,'  was  not  calculated  to  remove 
that  impression.  The  tumult  at  the  door  as  we  were  entering 
was  now  explained,  and  the  crowd,  which  was  large  enough 
to  have  torn  us  piecemeal,  quietly  parted  to  give  us  egress  when 
they  saw  that  we  appeared,  not,  as  they  had  perhaps  antici- 
pated, with  their  chief  minister  in  chains,  but  with  friendly 
mandarins  to  lead  the  wav. 

"  When  we  reached  the  legation  we  found  the  boy  already 
there.  He  had  been  sent  back  in  a  sedan,  and  his  cotton 
trousers,  wliich  had  been  torn  off  bv  the  mob,  were  replaced 
by  a  pair  of  silk.  Our  march  to  the  hotel  of  the  imperial 
commissioners  was  the  prelude  to  a  demonstration  of  a  more 
serious  character. 

"  Captains  Dew  and  Osborne,  of  the  Flnglish  squadron,  were 
set  upon  the  same  day  in  the  streets  of  Tientsin,  and  escaped 
with  their  heads  but  without  their  hats.  Resolved  either  to 
put  an  end  to  such  attacks  or  bring  on  open  hostilities,  they 
took  a  hundred  marines  and  proceeded  toward  the  city.     The 


I  So  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

gates  were  shut  against  them,  but  there  was  no  other  show  of 
resistance,  and,  scaling  the  walls,  they  seized  some  of  the  resi- 
dents, whom  they  carried  on  board  and  detained  overnight. 
It  was  a  bold  foray,  and  shows  how  helplessly  this  great  city 
lies  in  the  grasp  of  the  foreigner. 

"  These  occurrences  indicate  that  the  people  are  growing 
restive  under  military  occupation.  Not  that  they  are  incited 
by  disorders  on  the  part  of  the  allied  soldiery — the  cause  lies 
deeper:  they  are  starving.  From  the  arrival  of  the  first  ship 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  the  port  has  been  in  a  state  of  virtual 
blockade.  All  business  is  at  a  standstill,  and  thousands  of  the 
inhabitants,  destitute  of  employment  or  food,  are  waxing  fierce 
as  famished  wolves.  They  are  not  brave  but  desperate,  and 
are  beginning  to  clamor,  I  am  told,  to  be  allowed  to  precipi- 
tate themselves  like  an  avalanche  on  the  little  troop  of  foreign 
invaders.  '  We  may  as  well  fall  by  their  bayonets  as  perish 
with  hunger,'  is  the  low,  sad  plaint  which  wants  but  a  little 
more  pressure  to  turn  it  into  a  terrific  war-cry. 

"  The  principal  business  which  detains  Tan,  the  governor- 
general,  at  this  center  of  disturbance  is  said  to  be  the  preser- 
vation of  order  among  his  unruly  subjects.  They  are  described 
as  more  turbulent  and  warlike  than  the  people  of  the  South, 
given  to  settling  their  disputes  by  an  appeal  to  arms  rather 
than  to  the  law,  and  engaging  with  field-pieces  in  pitched 
battles,  with  which  the  mandarins  dare  not  interfere.  They 
would  furnish  the  raw  material  for  excellent  soldiers. 

"  June  1 4th.  Engaged  at  the '  Sea-light  Temple '  seven  hours 
with  the  Chinese  deputies  discussing  the  '  articles.'  " 

"June  15th.     Occupied  in  the  same  way  for  five  hours." 

"June  i6th.  Another  heat  of  seven  hours.  These  pro- 
tracted sessions,  which  leave  me  neither  time  nor  strength  for 
anything  else,  suggest  the  query  whether  treaty-making  is  not 
called  '  negotiation  '  quia  fwgat  otiii/n? 

"  To-day  we  completed  the  preliminary  discussion.    On  the 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  18 1 

1 8th  the  ministers  are  to  affix  their  seals.  Of  all  the  articles, 
thirty  in  number,  that  which  relates  to  religious  toleration  was 
the  most  difficult  to  agree  upon.  When  first  proposed  it  ap- 
peared likely  to  pass  unchallenged.  But  suspicion  of  what 
might  be  entering  the  Inner  Land  under  the  name  of  religion 
has  led  the  commissioners  to  subject  it  to  a  severe  scrutiny. 
They  fear  that  it  may  be  made  the  pretext  for  political  inter- 
ference. They  have  sense,  too,  to  perceive  that  an  element  so 
antagonistic  to  the  institutions  of  a  pagan  country  as  Christian- 
ity necessarily  is  cannot  be  compatible  with  the  continuance  of 
the  present  state  of  things.  They  would  be  glad  to  exclude 
the  transforming  and  regenerating  principle,  but,  thank  God, 
it  is  no  longer  within  their  power  to  do  so. 

"  The  deputies  acknowledged  to-day  that  the  emperor  had 
intended  to  interdict  the  propagation  of  Christianity,  but  that 
he  refrained  from  doing  so  out  of  regard  for  the  four  great 
nations  interested  in  its  extension. 

"The  18th  of  June  was  approaching,  and  Mr.  Reed  gave 
us  notice  that  he  intended  to  have  his  treaty  signed  on  that 
day,  imagining  that  posterity  would  somehow  connect  his 
name  with  that  of  Wellington.  There  was  still  a  hitch  con- 
nected with  the  wording  of  the  toleration  clause.  That  article, 
now  the  chief  glory  of  the  treaty,  was  suggested  by  Dr.  Wil- 
liams. How  much  interest  Mr.  Reed  took  in  it  is  apparent 
from  his  saying  to  us,  '  Now,  gentlemen,  if  you  can  get  your 
article  in — all  right!  But,  with  or  without  it,  I  intend  to  sign 
on  the  1 8th  of  June.'  " 

On  the  morning  of  the  fateful  day  Dr.  Williams  informed 
me  that  he  had  lain  awake  all  night  thinking  about  the  toler- 
ation clause,  and  that  a  new  form  had  occurred  to  him  which 
he  thought  would  prove  acceptable.  He  reduced  it  to  writ- 
ing, and  I  suggested  that  we  should  order  our  chairs  antl 
go  straight  to  the  hotel  of  the  Chinese  ministers  to  settle 
the  matter  without  further  delay.     This  we  did,  though  we 


l82  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

had  never  gone  there  before  except  by  accident,  as  above 
related. 

The  deputies  met  us  for  consultation,  and  their  chiefs  ac- 
cepted Dr.  Williams's  text  with  an  unimportant  verbal  change. 
It  now  reads:  "Art.  29.  The  principles  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion as  professed  by  the  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
churches  are  recognized  as  teaching  men  to  do  good  and  to 
do  to  others  as  they  would  have  others  do  to  them.  Hereafter 
those  who  quietly  teach  and  profess  these  doctrines  shall  not 
be  harassed  or  persecuted  on  account  of  their  faith.  Any 
person,  whether  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  or  a  Chinese 
convert,  who,  according  to  these  tenets,  peaceably  teaches  and 
practises  the  principles  of  Christianity  shall  in  no  wise  be  in- 
terfered with  or  molested." 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  toleration  of  our 
holy  religion  in  China  depended  entirely  on  this  stipulation  in 
the  American  treaty.  It  was  France  who,  in  1844,  led  the 
way  in  procuring  the  revocation  of  persecuting  interdicts  and 
the  issue  of  an  edict  of  toleration.  Is  it  to  be  imagined  that 
she  needed  our  example  to  prompt  her  to  secure  by  treaty 
what  she  had  gained  by  imperial  placet?  The  fact  is  that 
each  of  the  other  treaties  contains  an  article  in  favor  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  advantages  secured  by  them  must  have  inured 
to  us  even  had  ours  remained  a  blank.  Its  omission,  however, 
would  not  have  been  a  blank,  but  a  l)lot. 

The  phraseology  of  the  ]3ritish  treaty,  signed  the  following 
week,  was  on  this  point  conformed  to  that  of  the  American. 
Savs  the  Bishop  of  Hong  Kong  in  a  letter  to  the  Archbislio]-) 
of  Canterbury :  "  It  is  right  that  the  friends  of  Christian  mis- 
sions on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  sliould  know  how  much 
tliey  are  preeminentlv  indeljted  for  the  Christian  element  /// 
the  wordiii;:;  of  the  treaties  to  the  hearty  zeal,  sympathy,  and 
cooperation  of  his  Excellency  \Villiam  Ij.  Reed,  ably  seconded 
by  his  secretary  of  legation  and  interpreter,  Dr.  Williams  and 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  183 

Rev.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  names  well  known  in  connection  with 
the  missionary  work  in  China." 

That  the  Chinese  commissioners  so  readily  accepted  the 
principle  of  religious  toleration  was  a  matter  of  surprise,  as 
their  experience  with  a  fanatical  horde  of  semi-Christian  insur- 
gents was  not  adapted  to  allay  apprehension.  The  explana- 
tion, however,  is  not  far  to  seek.  They  feared  that  if  they 
should  reject  our  demands  on  that  head  the  foreign  powers 
might  still  turn  to  the  rebels,  who  were  in  great  force  in  the 
central  provinces.  Their  acceptance  of  this  article  is  not 
therefore  to  be  compared  with  the  spontaneous  insertion  in 
the  Japanese  constitution  of  a  clause  securing  complete  free- 
dom of  conscience.  It  was  not  the  result  of  growing  light,  but 
of  fear. 

Another  clause  of  the  treaty,  which  is  something  more  than 
an  ornament,  is  that  which  provides  for  the  good  offices  of  the 
United  States  in  cases  of  difficulty  with  other  powers.  Thus 
to  be  a  permanent  peacemaker  is  a  position  which  any  minister 
might  be  proud  of  securing  for  his  country.  This  provision, 
however,  emanates  not  from  Mr.  Reed,  but  from  Kweiliang, 
who,  on  looking  over  the  projet,  took  up  his  pencil  and 
added  the  lines  relating  to  that  subject,  showing  that  he  under- 
stood enough  of  geography  to  perceive  that  among  the  four 
powers  the  United  States  was  the  only  one  that  had  no  temp- 
tation to  encroach  on  Chinese  territory. 

The  treaty  was  signed  on  Waterloo  Day,  Mr.  Reed  making 
a  point  of  putting  it  through  before  the  belligerents  did  theirs, 
as  if  everything  he  gained  l)y  negotiation  was  not  due  to  their 
arms,  and  "as  if  he  would  not  have  had  a  better  chance  to 
gather  up  results  by  waiting  until  theirs  were  concluded.  In 
a  Chinese  fable,  a  fox.  walking  a  few  steps  in  advance  of  a 
tiger,  imagines  that  the  consternation  of  the  beasts  is  due  to 
his  presence.  "  To-day,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Reed,  "  I  have  per- 
formed the  greatest  act  of  my  life."     The  vanity  that  could 


184  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

find  greatness  in  a  treaty  obtained  under  such  circumstances 
might  readily  beHeve  that  Wilh'am  B.  Reed  was  the  chief  actor 
on  the  scene. 

The  treaty  contained  nothing  about  the  opium-trade,  though 
there  was  an  article  denouncing  and  forbidding  it  in  the  first 
draft.  Well  do  I  remember  the  blank  surprise  of  the  Chinese 
deputies  when  I  informed  them  that  the  anti-opium  article 
was  withdrawn.  The  reason  for  this  backward  step  I  was  not 
at  liberty  to  disclose,  but  I  am  now.  Had  Mr.  Reed  discov- 
ered the  nugatory  nature  of  such  a  stipulation  he  would  have 
deserved  credit  for  perspicacity.  AVithout  making  that  discov- 
ery he  backed  down  under  a  menace  from  Lord  Elgin  to  in- 
troduce into  the  British  treaty  an  article  in  favor  of  opium. 

Strange  to  say,  —  perhaps  not  strange,  —  the  man  who  weakly 
yielded  to  that  menace  six  months  later  took  the  lead  in  giving 
to  opium  the  status  of  a  legal  import.  "When  the  tarifi^  came 
to  be  arranged  at  Shanghai  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Lord  Ellgin  set- 
ting forth  his  fitness  for  doing  his  lordship's  disagreeable  work. 

Mr.  Reed  had  no  fixed  principles ;  he  had  gained  his  ap- 
pointment by  becoming  a  political  turncoat.  His  proposal  to 
prohibit  opium  was  intended  to  win  popularity,  his  introduction 
of  it  into  his  tariff  was  designed  to  obtain  the  credit  of  a  dar- 
ing initiative.  We  have  seen  how  much  he  cared  for  the 
toleration  clause.  He  only  tolerated  it  in  hopes  of  curry- 
ing favor  with  religious  communities  at  home.  He  said  to  us 
(Dr.  Williams  and  myself)  in  so  many  words  —  words  that  we 
felt  as  an  insult  —  that  he  expected  us  to  make  the  religious 
people  of  our  country  fully  sensible  of  what  he  had  done  for 
their  cause. 

The  British  treaty  of  Tientsin  is  a  marked  advance  on  that 
of  Nanking,  but  it  contains  an  omission,  as  I'addy  might  say, 
which  stamps  Lord  P'dgin's  diplomacy  as  a  failure  — the  omis- 
.sion  to  add  Tientsin  to  the  list  of  open  ports.  Had  this  been 
secured  it  would  have  j)revented  the  recurrence  of  hostilities. 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES 


'«5 


Mr.  Reed,  who  had  a  habit  of  swinging  round  to  the  views 
of  Lord  Elgin,  said  that  he  was  "  glad  that  it  was  not  to  be 
made  an  open  port ;  for  if  opened  it  would  be  a  nest  of  in- 
trigue, besides  affording  European  powers  a  position  from 
which  they  could  overawe  the  capital  "^just  as  if  overawing 
were  not  the  thing  most  needed. 

"June  19th.  The  new  treaty  being  concluded,  the  duty 
next  in  order  was  to  restore  to  the  Chinese  an  original  copy 
of  the  old  one,  found  in  the  viceroy's  yamen  at  Canton,  along 
with  copies  of  the  English  and  French  treaties.  The  lucky 
hour  selected  by  the  commissioners  for  receiving  it  was  4  p.m., 
at  which  time  Dr.  Williams  and  I  conveyed  it  to  their  lodgings. 


KWEI    AND    HWA    SKNDINT,    A    DKSI'ATCH    TO    THK    EMPEROR. 
(THE    DESl'ATCH    IN    ISAMHOO    TUISE    RESlINi;    ON    SUITORTS.) 


They  were  about  despatching  a  courier  to  the  emperor,  and 
had  just  completed  the  elaborate  ceremonial  which  they  go 
through  on  all  such  occasions.  It  consists  in  lighting  tapers 
and  burning  incense  before  the  document  inscribed  with  the 
emperor's  name,  and  performing  before  it,  as  if  in  the  imperial 
presence,  the  koto,  or  nine  prostrations. 

"  The  object  of  their  memorial  was  to  ascertain  the  pleasure 
of  his  Majesty  touching  some  points  in  the  English  and  PYench 


1 86  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

treaties.  The  demands  of  the  Allies  and  the  reluctance  of  the 
emperor  to  accede  to  them  had  thrown  the  commissioners  into 
a  sad  state  of  perplexity,  and  old  Kweiliang  remarked  despond- 
ingly  that,  however  faithful  they  might  be,  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  escape  being  censured  by  their  master.  He  denounced 
Keying  as  a  hollow-hearted  deceiver,  and  commended  himself 
and  his  colleague  as  men  of  unimpeachable  integrity,  at  the 
same  time  protesting  in  the  most  solemn  manner  that  they 
had  not  the  remotest  agency  in  bringing  Keying  to  his  unhappy 
end.  [A  year  later  Hwashana  met  the  same  fate,  swallowing 
gold  to  escape  a  judicial  process.]" 

"June  25th.  This  morning  Mr.  Reed  had  what  he  sup- 
posed to  be  a  final  interview  with  the  imperial  commissioners 
at  the  temple  of  the  Wind-god,  where  he  had  met  Keying. 
At  parting  he  shook  their  liands,  expecting  to  see  them  no 
more,  but  scarcely  had  he  reached  his  lodgings  when  a  mes- 
senger came  with  a  request  that  he  would  come  to  their  hotel 
as  quickly  as  possible  on  urgent  business.  A  similai  request 
was  sent  to  the  Russian  minister. 

"  On  arriving  the  neutral  ministers  were  told  that  an  imperial 
decree  had  been  received,  in  which  H.  I.  M.  positively  rejected 
several  of  the  most  important  demands  of  the  pjiglish.  A 
paper  was  produced  which  professed  to  be  an  extract.  In  this 
the  emperor  was  made  to  say  that  he  would  '  negative  with  ten 
thousand  vetoes  anv  proposition  to  place  a  resident  minister  at 
Peking;  that  unrestricted  intercourse  with  all  parts  of  the  eni- 
pire  for  purposes  of  trade  could  by  no  means  be  allowed  ;  and 
that,  the  banks  of  the  dreat  River  being  disturbetl  by  rebels, 
its  navigation  was  not  to  be  treated  of.' 

"  '  You  see,'  said  Kweiliang,  addressing  himself  to  the  two 
ministers,  'how  importunately  the  luiglish  urge  their  demands, 
and  how  decidedlv  our  great  emperor  rejects  them,  lietween 
the  two  our  lives  are  in  jeojjardy.  If  we  sign  a  treaty  contain- 
ing these  concessions  we  shall  l)e  condemned  as  traitors.      If 


TIENTSIN  AND    THE    TREATIES  187 

we  refuse,  the  English  will  renew  hostilities,  and  we  shall  be 
put  to  death  for  failing  to  bring  them  to  terms.  But  for  my- 
self, if  I  must  die  I  prefer  to  fall  with  hands  unstained  by  the 
guilt  of  betraying  my  country.  In  this  emergency  it  is  to  you 
that  we  look  for  help.  Your  honorable  nations  have  always 
been  our  friends,  and  we  have  just  confirmed  our  friendship 
by  renewing  our  treaties.  We  entreat  you  therefore  to  use 
your  combined  influence  to  induce  Lord  Elgin  to  recede  from 
these  unreasonable  demands.  Our  every  hope  depends  on 
your  exertions.' 

"  While  uttering  this  speech  the  voice  of  Kweiliang,  en- 
feebled with  age,  became  tremulous  with  emotion.  The  neu- 
trals assured  him  of  their  sympathy  (what  could  they  do  less?), 
but  were  unable  to  quiet  his  apprehensions  with  anything  bet- 
ter than  the  vaguest  promises.  Throughout  the  interview 
Hwashana  maintained  a  stoical  composure,  and  his  bearing 
on  this,  as  on  other  public  occasions,  was  characterized  by  a 
severe  dignity  worthy  of  the  '  grand  marshal '  of  the  blue- 
bordered  banner." 

"June  26th.  From  the  tone  of  this  interview  I  was  dis- 
posed to  augur  unfavorably  as  to  the  prospects  of  the  fete  our 
English  friends  were  expecting  to  celebrate,  and  feared  that 
those  officers  who  had  come  up  from  the  outer  anchorage  to 
witness  the  signing  of  the  treaty  would  be  parties  to  a  less 
pacific  spectacle.  But  at  6  p.m.  the  marine  companies  were 
drawn  up  in  front  of  Lord  Elgin's  lodgings,  and  he  came  forth 
amid  the  blare  of  a  military  band  and  the  cheers  of  the  allied 
squadrons.  Banners  of  every  color  floated  in  gay  festoons 
from  the  mastheads  of  the  steamers,  and  the  yards  were  manned 
to  do  honor  to  the  occasion. 

"  After  an  absence  of  two  hours  he  returned  with  the  sign  and 
seal  of  the  imperial  commissioners  to  all  his  demands.  By 
what  arguments  they  were  persuaded  to  compliance  it  is  not 
difficult  to   divine ;  but  whether  the  prohibitory  edict  was  a 


l88  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT// AY 

myth,  the  extract  exhibited  to  us  a  forgery,  and  their  pathetic- 
appeal  to  the  intercession  of  the  neutral  ministers  only  a  sub- 
terfuge of  baffled  diplomacy,  or  whether  they  have  devoted 
themselves  to  a  future  but  inevitable  doom,  to  avert  from  their 
country  a  present  calamity,  are  questions  which  do  not  admit 
of  so  ready  a  solution." 

"June  27th  (Sunday).  The  French  treaty  was  signed  this 
evening.  Gallic  taste  and  ingenuity  succeeded  in  eclipsing  the 
pageant  of  yesterday.  The  hour  was  so  fixed  that  the  splen- 
dors of  a  torch-light  procession  shed  over  the  return  of  the 
baron  an  air  of  triumph.  All  the  vessels  of  the  combined 
squadron  received  him  with  prolonged  cheering,  and  as  he 
entered  his  domicile  a  blaze  of  pyrotechny  hailed  the  finale  of 
the  war  with  China." 

"July  6th.  The  four  treaties,  combined  in  one  despatch, 
were  sent  to  Peking  by  a  fleet  courier,  while  the  commissioners 
waited  in  breathless  suspense  for  the  imperial  rescript.  At 
length  the  vermilion  pencil  deigned  a  reply.  '  We  have  seen 
their  memorial  and  know  its  contents,'  was  its  oracular  utter- 
ance. The  commissioners  felt  relieved  that  it  had  not  come- 
charged  with  a  thunderbolt,  and  thought  the  foreign  plenipo- 
tentiaries ought  to  be  equally  satisfied  ;  but  those  unmeaning 
words  afforded  no  assurance  that  the  treaties  would  ever  be 
ratified,  and  nothing  short  f)f  such  a  guarantee  could  warrant 
the  Allies  in  withdrawing  their  forces;  for  what  evidence  have 
they  that  on  the  removal  of  pressure  the  emperor  will  not  re- 
pudiate the  acts  of  his  ministers?  Tliey  resohed  to  a]>ply  the 
screws  and  compel  an  exitlicit  promise  of  ratification.  Clun- 
boats  were  despatched  to  the  outer  anchorage  with  orders  to 
bring  up  a  thousand  additional  troojis.  The  mere  demonstra- 
tion proved  sufficient,  and  peace  is  niaiiilained  at  least  for  the 
present." 

The  temple  that  was  the  scene  of  our  toils  deserves  a  part- 
ing notice.    It  is  now  known  as  the  Treaty  Temple,  but  its  Chi- 


TIENTSIiV  AXD    THE    TREATIES  189 

nese  name,  Haikwang,  signifies  "  sea-light,"  or  "  sea  of  light." 
In  crossing  the  expanse  of  heated  sand  in  the  midst  of  which 
it  stands  we  often  saw  a  mirage,  which  I  suppose  gave  rise  to 
its  name.  The  Buddhists  are  idealistic  in  their  philosophy, 
holding  that  all  appearances  are  unreal.  Who  knows  that 
they  did  not  build  their  temple  in  that  barren  spot  just  because 
there  they  had  before  their  eyes  a  symbol  of  the  deceptive 
nothingness  of  all  things? 

Before  the  middle  of  July  the  pomp  of  embassies  and  the 
glitter  of  arms  had  faded  from  the  scene,  as  transient  as  a 
mirage,  and,  may  we  not  add,  as  unsubstantial,  seeing  that 
nothing  was  secured  and  that  two  years  of  war  were  lurking 
within  the  veil  of  the  future. 

Had  Tientsin  been  opened  to  trade  and  gunboats  been  sta- 
tioned in  the  river,  there  could  have  been  no  pretext  for  a  fresh 
rupture.  Situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Grand  Canal  with  the 
Peiho,  it  is  the  entrepot  not  only  for  the  capital  but  for  the 
entire  belt  of  northern  provinces.  Its  population,  then  about 
three  hundred  thousand,  has  more  than  doubled,  and  in  the 
volume  of  its  trade  it  now  ranks  high  on  the  list  of  open  ports. 
The  foreign  settlement,  two  miles  below  the  city,  is  a  city  in 
itself,  and  might  well  serve  the  Chinese  for  a  model  if  they 
were  not  too  proud  or  too  prejudiced  to  accept  one.  When 
a  block  of  native  houses  happens  to  burn  down  the  new  build- 
ings, instead  of  rising  in  a  new  and  improved  style,  reproduce 
the  old  ones  as  exactly  as  this  year's  crop  of  briers  does  that 
of  last  year  which  was  devoured  by  a  prairie-fire. 


CHAPTER   XII 


THE    WAR     RENEWED 


Repulse  of  Allies  at  Taku— Mr.  Ward's  visit  to  Peking— Reception  by 
the  viceroy— Journey  overland— Ascent  of  Peiho- Scurvy  treatment 
—  Refusal  of  koto— Expulsion  from  the  capital— Exchange  of  treaty 
— A  strange  presentiment 

EARLY  in  1859  our  new  minister,  Hon.  John  E.  Ward, 
touched  at  Ningpo  with  his  secretary.  Dr.  WilHams,  on 
his  way  to  the  North,  and  invited  me  to  accompany  him  as 
I  had  Mr.  Reed  the  previous  year.  Mr.  Aitclu'son,  a  clever 
young  missionary  of  the  American  Board,  joined  the  expedi- 
tion as  assistant  interpreter. 

The  British  and  French  ministers  had  not  yet  arrived  at 
Shanghai,  but  the  Chinese  ministers  who  liad  signed  the  trea- 
ties were  waiting  there  to  intercept  them  and  obtain,  if  possible, 
the  surrender  of  certain  disagreeable  rights.  One  of  these 
was  the  navigatif)n  of  the  Yang-tse-Kiang,  another  the  resi- 
dence of  foreign  ministers  in  Peking.  To  renounce  them  would 
have  been  to  throw  away  the  best  fruits  of  the  war. 

Bruce  and  Bourboulon,  the  representatives  of  England  and 
France,  bent  on  proceeding  to  the  capital  and  suspecting  bad 
faith,  refused  tf)  see  the  Chinese  ministers  in  any  other  place. 
Mr.  \\'ard,  ])laying  a  very  different  part,  rightly  enough  con- 
sented to  meet  them.  Two  interviews  took  place,  one  at  the 
house  of  Heard  &  Co.,  where  Mr.  Ward  lodged,  the  other  at 
a  yamen  in  the  Clu'nese  city.     At  both  a  conspicuous  figure 

190 


THE    WAR  RENEWED  191 

was  Ho  Kwecliing,  viceroy  of  the  two  Kiang.  A  native  of 
Yunnan,  he  had,  as  he  told  me,  gained  the  degree  of  Chiijcii, 
or  Master  of  Arts,  at  tlie  age  of  sixteen.  Not  over  forty,  lie 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  physique  and  intelligence  of  his 
race.  A  year  later  the  poor  fellow  was  beheaded  for  not  de- 
fending Suchau,  the  provincial  capital,  against  the  Taiping 
rel)els.  At  these  interviews,  which  were  chiefly  occupied  with 
eating  and  drinking,  nothing  took  place  worthy  of  record  ex- 
cept that  the  Chinese  solicited  the  good  oflfices  of  Mr.  Ward 
to  induce  the  English  and  French  to  reopen  negotiations  at 
Slianghai.  The  efliort,  if  made,  was  ineffectual.  About  the 
middle  of  May  a  combined  squadron  of  the  allied  powers  was 
again  lying  off  the  Taku  bar.  This  time,  in  addition  to  the 
natural  barrier,  the  entrance  to  the  river  was  closed  by  chevaux- 
de-frise.  The  batteries  had  been  rebuilt,  probably  with  the  aid 
of  Russian  engineers,  and,  as  the  aUied  force  learned  to  its 
cost,  armed  with  guns  of  a  formidable  type. 

Landing  in  front  of  the  batteries,  we  were  met  by  several 
officers  without  uniform  (official  intercourse  being  forbidden), 
who  informed  us  that  all  access  by  water  was  barred,  but  that 
if  we  chose  to  proceed  to  Peking  by  land  the  way  was  open. 
The  English  and  French  ministers  were  resolved  to  ascend  the 
river,  though  their  predecessors  had  neglected  to  stipulate  for 
that  privilege,  and,  indignant  at  finding  the  entrance  closed,  they 
committed  to  their  naval  commanders  the  task  of  opening  it. 

At  midnight  on  June  24th  the  explosion  of  a  shell  burst 
the  chain.  A  single  shot  from  the  batteries  indicated  that  the 
act  of  aggression  was  observed  on  shore,  then  all  relapsed  into 
silence.  The  next  day  while  parties  were  removing  the  iron 
stakes  no  notice  was  taken  of  the  proceeding,  and  so  few  signs 
of  life  were  discernible  that  many  thought  the  batteries  de- 
serted. About  3  P.M.  the  gunboats  steamed  in  and  opened 
fire.  Instantly  a  blaze  of  chain-lightning  ran  along  the  earth- 
works on  both  sides  of  the  river,  the  cannonade  continuing  with 


192  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT.      'F 

little  intermission  until  nightfall.  In  the  meantime  Admiral 
Hope  was  wounded,  and  our  gallant  Commodore  Tatnall  put 
off  through  the  thick  of  the  fight  to  express  his  sympathy.  On 
his  way  back  his  cockswain  was  killed  and  his  boat  shattered 
by  a  shot  from  the  Chinese  side.  Beyond  this  plucky  display 
he  gave  a  substantial  proof  of  sympathy  by  towing  up  a  flotilla 
of  launches  containing  a  storming-party  of  five  hundred  men, 
exclaiming,  as  he  threw  diplomacy  overboard,  that  "  blood  is 
thicker  than  water." 

That  speech  has  echoed  round  the  world.  No  heart  responds 
to  it  more  truly  than  mine.  Would  that  the  ties  of  blood  might 
not  only  make  war  impossible  between  the  kindred  nations,  but 
unite  the  two  flags  to  impose  peace  on  the  rest  of  mankind ! 
Yet,  noble  as  was  the  impulse,  the  move  was  hardly  politic  for 
those  who  were  intending  to  go  to  Peking. 

When  the  first  shots  convulsed  the  air  a  frightened  dove 
lighted  on  the  rigging  of  our  ship,  where  it  was  observed  and 
admired  as  a  symbol  of  neutrality.  Needless  to  say,  it  flew 
away  when  our  flag  was  compromised.  The  succor  was  too 
late  to  be  effective.  It  was  near  sunset  when  the  party  landed; 
and  night  came  before  they  had  passed  the  belt  of  mud  sepa- 
rating them  from  the  forts.  They  then  found  themselves  con- 
fronted by  an  obstacle  for  which  no  calculation  had  been 
made— a  broad,  deep  moat  full  of  water.  Without  pontoons 
or  boats  it  was  impossible  to  cross,  and  as  the  devoted  band 
stood  on  the  brink  they  were  mown  down  by  volleys  of  musketry 
from  the  ramparts,  the  aim  of  the  Chinese  being  guided  by 
fire-balls  thrown  into  the  air.  In  a  few  minutes  half  the  force 
were  killed  or  wounded,  and  the  remainder,  with  or  without 
orders,  floundered  back  to  their  boats.  All  was  done  that 
courage  could  do,  but  the  bungling  of  the  admiral  made  dis- 
aster inevitable.  What  is  to  be  said  for  a  man  who  so  miscal- 
culates the  tides  and  misunderstands  the  ground  except  that 
■'  he  was  brave  "? 


THE    WAR  RENEWED  193 

The  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  footed  up  four  hundred  and 
sixty ;  the  gunboats  made  no  impression,  and  the  light  of  day- 
revealed  the  fact  that  six  of  the  thirteen  were  hors  de  combat. 
The  discomfiture  was  complete,  and  the  Allies  retired  to  the 
south  to  prepare  for  another  campaign.  Of  the  Englishman 
in  such  circumstances  it  may  always  be  predicted,  7nox  reficit 
ratfs  qiiassas. 

The  war  was  rekindled,  and  the  Chinese  were  accused  of 
bringing  it  about  by  treachery.  But  were  they  wrong  in  bar- 
ring the  way  to  a  city  that  was  not  opened  by  treaty?  Had 
the  allied  ministers  a  right  to  expect  to  reach  Tientsin  in  their 
steamers  when  they  had  neglected  to  secure  it  by  stipulation? 
Not  only  were  they  aggressors  in  firing  the  first  shot,  they  were 
clearly  wrong  in  the  whole  issue. 

It  was  evident  that  the  war  had  to  be  fought  out,  that  things 
could  not  remain  as  Lord  Elgin  had  left  them  ;  but  it  is  a 
thousand  pities  that  the  occasion  for  unchaining  England's 
thunder  should  be  in  one  instance  to  exact  payment  for  the 
destruction  of  a  prohibited  drug,  in  another  to  procure  satis- 
faction for  the  insult  implied  in  the  Chinese  exercising  sum- 
mary justice  on  their  own  people,  in  a  third  a  mere  quibble  of 
words,  in  the  last  the  assertion  of  a  privilege  which  the  nego- 
tiators had  forgotten  to  secure.  The  renewal  of  the  war  was 
the  only  way  to  permanent  peace,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  the  Mongol  prince  and  his  party  intended  to  bring  on  a 
conflict ;  but  it  grieves  one  to  see  the  more  enhghtened  party 
so  continually  in  the  wrong.  What  estimate  will  a  Chinese 
statesman  on  such  a  retrospect  form  of  the  morality  of  England? 

Since  writing  the  above  I  find  the  following  in  Lord  Malmes- 
bury's  "Journal,"  under  date  of  September  16,  1859:  "Ac- 
counts from  China  very  sad ;  and  if  true  Mr.  Bruce  is  to 
blame.  It  is  reported  that  the  Chinese  sent  word  [to  the  en- 
voys] that  the  Peiho  was  blocked,  but  that  if  they  went  by 
another  road  farther  north  they  would  be  received." 


194  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

When  the  smoke  had  cleared  away  Mr.  Ward  set  himself  to 
consitler  what  course  remained  for  him  to  pursue.  Unlike  his 
predecessor,  he  came  north  by  agreement  with  China.  At  the 
time  of  his  coming  there  were  no  belligerents,  and  if  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  chose  to  make  themselves  such  and  get  them- 
selves beaten  that  did  not  in  any  way  bind  him  to  follow  their 
example.  He  had  no  objection  to  proceeding  to  Peking  by 
any  route  the  Chinese  might  offer,  and  it  was  possible  that  the 
Chinese  might  welcome  the  presence  of  a  neutral  in  order  to 
put  their  assailants  in  the  wrong.  Was  it  not  possible  too  that 
a  neutral  might  in  consequence  of  this  disaster  secure  the 
vantage-ground  of  a  mediator.^ 

His  reasoning  was  sound,  but  was  he  a  neutral?  Was  he 
not  compromised  by  the  action  of  our  commodore?  He, 
however,  had  no  misgivings,  and  drew  up  a  despatch  addressed 
to  Hengfu,  the  new  viceroy,  whose  camp  was  at  Peitang,  ten 
miles  to  the  north.  Steaming  cautiously  in  that  direction  in 
our  smallest  boat,  the  "  Toy  wan,"  we  found  the  water  every- 
where so  shallow  that  we  were  una1)le  to  approach  the  shore. 
Taking  the  despatch,  and  accompanied  by  Mr.  Ward's  brother 
and  a  midshipman,  I  put  off  in  the  captain's  gig.  The  gig, 
however,  took  the  ground  when  half  a  mile  out.  Not  to  be 
balked,  I  threw  myself  into  the  water  and  proceeded  on  foot, 
followed  by  the  others,  ^^'hen  we  were  yet  distant  from  the 
landing  about  a  hundred  yards  half  a  dozen  men  in  })lain  dress 
dashed  into  the  water  and  came  to  meet  us,  at  the  same  time 
warning  us  not  to  advance.  We  waited  their  approach,  and, 
waist-deep  in  mud  and  water,  held  a  parley,  endeavoring  to 
induce  them  to  permit  us  to  land  and  deliver  the  despatch  to 
the  viceroy.  "  No,"  said  the  sjiokesman,  who  was  no  rustic, 
"it  would  cost  vou  vour  lives.  You  say  you  are  our  friends, 
but  how  do  we  know?  In  fact,  on  seeing  your  ship  we  sent 
f(jr  a  bodv  of  Tartar  cavalry.  They  are  coming,"  he  exclaimed, 
looking  landward  with   anxiety  painted   on   his  cotmtenance. 


THE    WAR   KEXEIVED  195 

"  Give  me  the  despatch  and  get  back  to  your  ship."  Nothing 
remained  but  to  take  his  advice,  and,  as  he  manifested  such 
dread  of  what  might  happen,  we  hastened  our  retreat  as  much 
as  mud  and  water  would  permit.  As,  wet  and  weary,  we 
clambered  into  the  gig  we  saw  a  body  of  Tartar  horse  gallop 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  Had  they  caught  us  in  the  act  of 
attempting  to  land,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  under  the  irri- 
tation of  the  recent  battle,  they  would  have  shot  us  down  with- 
out ceremony.  A  flag  that  had  floated  over  the  enemy's  barges 
would  have  been  no  protection. 

A  reply  came  the  next  day,  inviting  our  minister  to  an  inter- 
view. We  were  shown  the  proper  channel  and  received  with 
much  pomp,  passing  between  long  files  of  soldiers  armed  with 
matchlocks,  who  had  their  matches  lighted  ready  to  shoot  us 
at  a  sign  from  their  commander,  a  precaution  never  taken  at 
our  interviews  with  the  former  viceroy. 

On  July  19th  we  set  out  for  the  capital,  escorted  by  a  body 
of  Chinese  officials  and  soldiers,  at  the  head  of  which  I  was 
glad  to  find  the  tao-tai  Chunghau,  whose  acquaintance  I  had 
made  the  previous  year.  With  him  was  associated  Chang,  a 
brigadier-general,  with  a  red  button.  The  latter  took  pains  to 
inform  me  that  he  was  a  Mohammedan,  expressing  his  belief 
in  the  substantial  identity  of  his  religion  and  mine. 

Mohammedans  in  China  manifest  very  little  of  that  antipathy 
to  Christians  w^hich  in  western  Asia  has  been  handed  down 
from  the  crusades.  Some  of  them  entered  China  by  sea  as  early 
as  the  rise  of  Islam,  and  the  tomb  of  an  uncle  of  the  Prophet 
is  still  pointed  out  at  Canton.  But  the  growth  of  their  com- 
munities has  been  chiefly  due  to  gradual  infiltration  from  Turk- 
estan. Among  the  first  to  arrive  from  Turkestan  was  a  body 
of  auxiharies  hired  by  one  of  the  emperors  from  the  Caliph  Al- 
Mansur  to  aid  in  a  war  with  Tibet.  They  do  not,  as  in  Africa, 
carry  on  an  active  propaganda,  though  they  have  never  ceased 
to  gain  strength  from  the  accession  of  proselytes,  and  their 


196  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

whole  number  is  probably  not  far  short  of  ten  millions.  Their 
principal  colonies  are  in  Yunnan  and  the  three  provinces  of  the 
Northwest,  the  former  being  known  as  Pantais,  the  latter  as 
Tunganis,  During  the  troublous  times  succeeding  the  Taiping 
rebellion  the  Mohammedans  in  both  regions  threw  off  the  yoke 
of  China  ;  but,  having  no  connection  or  cooperation,  they  were 
suppressed  after  a  long  and  desolating  conflict.  The  Pantais 
succumbed  to  treachery  rather  than  force,  Ma  Julung,  the 
chief  agent  in  their  suppression,  being  a  Moslem.  The  rebels 
of  Kashgar  were  overcome  by  tactics  which  none  but  a  Chi- 
nese would  think  of  employing.  The  invaders  halted  long 
enough  each  year  to  plant  and  gather  a  harvest.  It  look  ten 
years,  but  patience  triumphed. 

At  the  present  moment  the  Tunganis  are  again  in  revolt, 
encouraged  probably  by  rumors  of  the  Japanese  invasion. 
They  have  overrun  the  whole  of  Kan-su  and  are  threatening 
the  capital  of  Shensi ;  but  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  be  able 
to  hold  their  ground,  unless  it  should  suit  the  policy  of  Russia 
to  give  them  aid  and  countenance.  They  are  said  to  be  armed 
with  rifles  of  Russian  make.* 

In  general  the  government  has  treated  them  with  liberality 
and  forbearance,  admitting  them  freely  to  military  office. 
Some  of  them  have  also  attained  civil  offices  of  high  grade, 
though  in  such  positions  they  keep  their  religion  in  the  back- 
ground. Masini,  a  viceroy  of  Nanking,  was  of  Mohammedan 
family.  He  was  killed  by  a  co-religionist  in  revenge  for  a 
personal  injury. 

Before  starling  Mr.  Ward  had  forbidden  his  interpreters  to 
speak  to  the  natives  on  the  subject  of  religion,  but  on  second 
thoughts  he  withdrew  the  embargo,  saying  that  he  had  no  wish 
to  be  held  up  to  odium  l)efore  llie  eyes  of  the  American  peo- 

*  It  bus  not  suited  tlic  policy  of  Russia  to  favor  them,  and  their  for- 
tunes are  on  the  wane  (Feljruary,   iSyO). 


J}'--^ 


'fi.  .^rl/-. 


THE    WAR  RENEWED  I97 

pie.  My  experience  was,  as  I  assured  him,  that  the  more 
freely  I  spoke  to  the  Chinese  on  the  subject  of  religion  the 
more  friendly  they  showed  themselves.  The  presentation  of 
the  claims  of  Christianity  has  never  in  any  case  excited  a 
tumult,  mobs  and  outbreaks  having  always  been  connected 
with  anti-foreign  feeling,  if  not  with  magical  superstitions.  A 
residence  built  on  high  ground  will  give  as  much  umbrage  as 
a  church. 

Two  days  in  carts  drawn  by  mules  across  a  thinly  peopled 
country  brought  us  to  Peitang,  on  the  Peiho,  ten  miles  above 
Tientsin.  Here  we  found  boats  waiting  for  us,  one  of  which, 
a  kind  of  three-decker  drawn  by  sixteen  men,  was  set  apart  for 
the  minister.  The  current  being  strong,  we  made  little  head- 
way, and  our  poor  trackers  had  toilsome  work  in  mud  and 
water,  reminding  me  of  my  experience  in  those  mixed  elements. 
We  moored  at  night,  and  in  the  morning  were  not  surprised  to 
find  that  some  of  the  trackers  had  "  made  tracks."  The  loss 
was  soon  repaired.  While  we  were  at  breakfast  on  the  upper 
deck  a  crowd  assembled  to  gaze  at  us,  and  half  a  dozen  sol- 
diers swooping  down  upon  them,  each  secured  a  man.  The 
victims  were  dragged  away  by  their  pigtails  and  harnessed  to 
a  boat  over  which  floated  the  banner  of  a  free  country! 

We  were  the  guests  of  the  emperor,  and  our  wants  were  pro- 
vided for  with  imperial  munificence.  Not  merely  were  the 
high  officials  whom  I  have  mentioned  made  responsible  for 
our  safety :  some  of  the  mandarins  attached  to  their  suite  were 
charged  with  the  duty  of  purveying  for  the  embassy.  At  our 
first  stopping-place  they  called  for  our  Canton  comprador  and 
cooks  to  ascertain  what  the  "  barbarians  "  were  accustomed  to 
feed  on,  as  they  desired  to  send  orders  in  advance.  To  their 
dismay  not  a  man  in  the  culinary  department  could  speak  a 
word  of  Mandarin.  So  they  sent  for  me,  and  I  interpreted  be- 
tween them  and  their  own  people.  Had  our  cooks  been  suf- 
ficiently educated  they  might  have  communicated  in  writing, 


198  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

as  the  written  language  is  no  more  affected  by  difference  of 
dialect  than  are  our  Arabic  numerals. 

The  scenery  was  of  that  monotonous  description  which  be- 
longs to  an  alluvial  plain  covered  with  crops  interspersed  with 
trees ;  not  a  hill  was  visible  until  we  approached  the  vicinity 
of  Peking ;  yet  the  river  has  a  physiognomy  of  its  own.  High 
embankments,  new  and  old,  broken  and  whole,  with  heaps  of 
material  for  renewing  them,  testify  to  the  unruly  character  of 
the  stream.  Another  equally  striking  witness  is  the  absence 
of  anything  better  than  mud  huts  from  the  villages  on  its 
banks,  no  one  choosing  to  build  a  good  house  where  it  is  liable 
to  be  engulfed.  No  place  on  earth  presents  a  more  squalid 
aspect  than  this  waterway  to  a  great  capital.  The  people, 
nevertheless,  appeared  well  fed,  and  swarms  of  children,  com- 
ing on  to  fill  the  ranks  of  China's  millions,  appeared  supremely 
happy.  Their  chief  pastime — and  it  must  have  been  delight- 
ful— was  to  divest  themselves  of  clothing,  if  they  had  any,  and 
slide  down  a  slippery  bank,  finishing  with  a  plunge  in  the 
water.     There  is  no  alchemy  like  youth  and  health. 

It  took  us  five  and  a  half  days  to  reach  Tungcho,  the  port 
of  the  capital,  distant  by  water  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles.  Here  we  were  again  provided  with  carts,  but  we  found 
them  intolerable  on  the  stone-paved  highroad.  The  man- 
darins of  our  escort  courteously  yielded  their  horses,  taking 
our  carts  in  exchange,  and  thus  we  reached  the  gates  of  the 
city,  when  we  were  requested  to  resume  our  seats  in  the  carts 
in  order  to  make  our  solemn  entry. 

It  was  a  mistake  for  Mr.  AVard  to  accept  a  cart  in  the  first 
instance.  The  envoys  of  Corea  always  travel  in  that  fashion, 
but  in  Peking  officers  of  the  higher  grades  are  carried  in  sedans, 
and  he  sliould  have  claimed  the  same  privilege.  He  did,  in 
fact,  but  yielded  to  the  ©injections  of  the  viceroy — it  was  his 
only  weakness,  unless  his  consent  to  the  action  of  the  commo- 
dore be  counted  another. 


THE    WAR  RENEWED  199 

The  streets  were  lined  with  thousands  of  people,  who  had 
evidently  taken  their  stations  long  in  advance,  waiting  to  see 
the  conquered  barbarians  led  in  triumph.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  we  were  represented  as  prisoners,  or  rather  as  a 
vanquished  enemy  who  had  come  to  make  submission. 

We  were  lodged  in  a  well-furnished  house  and  luxuriously 
fed,  but  we  were  guarded  like  criminals.  The  Chinese  minis- 
ters called  on  us  the  next  day ;  they  were  still  Kweiliang  and 
Hwashana,  with  the  addition  of  Seih,  a  former  tao-tai  of  Shang- 
hai, a  man  suspected  of  being  the  author  of  much  of  our 
humiliation  and  disappointment.  We  were  not  allowed  to  go 
abroad  in  the  city,  but  were  consoled  by  the  assurance  that 
when  our  business  was  finished  we  should  see  everything  under 
the  guidance  of  an  official  escort.  Nor  were  we  permitted  to 
visit  the  Russian  minister,  the  far-famed  Ignatieff,  who  was  in- 
stalled at  the  mission  not  far  from  our  lodgings,  engaged  in 
selling  arms  and  neutrality  for  large  slices  of  territory.  He 
had  succeeded  in  reaching  Mr.  Ward  while  on  the  river  with 
a  very  cordial  letter  of  welcome ;  but  when  a  party  of  Rus- 
sians, Ignatieff  among  them  no  doubt,  came  to  our  door  in 
the  city  they  were  rudely  repelled  by  our  guards,  and  not  even 
a  visiting-card  was  allowed  to  come  in. 

We  had  two  formal  interviews  with  the  Chinese  ministers, 
and  numerous  informal  meetings  with  Seih,  the  obstructive 
tao-tai.  The  first  was  at  our  hotel,  the  next  at  a  great  tem- 
ple near  the  north  gate  of  the  imperial  precinct — the  Kia- 
hingsze,  in  going  to  which  we  got  a  glimpse  of  the  imperial  hill 
crowned  with  picturesque  pavilions. 

The  first  thing  on  the  docket,  as  we  were  informed,  was  to 
see  the  emperor,  after  which  the  exchange  of  ratifications 
would  take  place.  But  what  about  the  ceremony?  We  were 
coolly  told  there  could  be  but  one,  viz.,  the  koto,  or  Oriental 
prostration.  Our  minister  objecting,  a  discussion  ensued  which 
was  protracted  for  a  fortnight,  the  Chinese  yielding  so  far  as 


200  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

to  waive  the  koto  and  offer  to  accept  kneeling  instead.  "  I 
kneel  only  to  God  and  woman,"  replied  Mr.  Ward.  "The 
emperor,"  rejoined  Kweiliang,  in  terms  identical  with  those 
employed  by  Keying,  "is  the  same  as  God." 

Day  after  day  they  hammered  away  on  this  point,  and  it 
naturally  grew  both  sharper  and  hotter,  Mr.  Ward  holding  firm, 
and  authorizing  me  to  say  that  he  would  sooner  lose  his  head 
than  bring  his  knees  to  the  ground.  At  length  we  were  noti- 
fied that  his  Majesty  was  so  desirous  of  seeing  us  that  not  even 
a  kneeling  posture  would  be  required  ;  our  minister  would  have 
before  him  a  curtained  table  so  that  he  should  see?n  to  kneel. 
To  this  Mr.  Ward  assented  ;  not,  however,  without  demanding 
that  it  should  be  distinctly  understood  that  he  nwuld not  kneel. 
Kweiliang  replied  that  two  chamberlains  would  seize  him  by 
the  arms,  saying,  Pic  kwe,pu  kwe  ("  Don't  kneel,  don't  kneel  "). 

I  rather  thought  that  instead  of  trying  to  prevent  his  kneel- 
ing they  would  push  him  to  his  knees,  especially  as  Seih  said 
slyly,  "  Nothing  is  required  of  you,  but  when  you  see  the  em- 
peror you  will  be  so  overcome  with  awe  that  you  will  fall  down 
of  your  own  accord." 

Mr.  Ward  had  faith  in  the  firmness  of  his  own  will,  and  a 
day  was  fixed  for  us  to  go  out  to  the  summer  palace.  The 
hour  came,  our  uniform  was  donned  and  horses  were  at  the 
door,  when  in  came  the  ill-boding  ex-tao-tai  to  say  that  the 
emperor  "  insisted  on  the  full  ceremony.  His  Majesty  had 
heard  of  the  part  we  took  in  the  recent  combat,  lending  a  ship 
and  landing  two  hundred  marines!  He  required  the  koto  iu 
proof  of  sincere  repentance." 

The  wily  Chinaman  evidently  expected  that  we  would  sur- 
render at  the  last  moment,  but  Mr.  Ward  replied  by  directing 
us  to  take  off  our  uniform  and  send  away  the  horses.  The 
ex-tao-tai  left  us  in  anger,  and  the  next  day  came  an  imperial 
mandate  commanding  Mr.  Ward  to  quit  the  capital  and  to  ex- 
change copies  of  the  treaty  with  the  viceroy  at  the  sea-coast. 


THE    WAk  RENEWED  20 1 

From  the  moment  of  our  first  meeting  in  the  capital  the 
gentle  old  Kweiliang  had  assumed  a  menacing  tone,  quite  un- 
like anything  he  had  before  exhibited.  His  change  of  manner 
Mr.  Ward  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  official  spies  and  princes  in 
disguise  were  always  present;  he  was  therefore  bound  to  do 
his  best  to  bully  us  into  compliance.  He  would  have  done 
better  to  refer  it  to  his  own  violation  of  neutrahty,  an  impru- 
dence which  placed  him  at  the  mercy  of  the  Chinese. 

The  emperor,  we  were  frequently  told,  was  very  angry. 
Impetuous  and  arbitrary  we  knew  him  to  be,  and  sometimes 
the  thought  crossed  our  minds  that  heads  might  pay  the  forfeit 
of  the  stubborn  and  unyielding  knees.  In  a  trying  situation, 
Mr.  Ward  displayed  courage  enough  to  atone  for  the  question- 
able diplomacy  that  had  got  him  into  such  a  scrape.  In  re- 
fusing to  kneel  he  confirmed  the  Chinese  in  a  belief,  which 
they  had  expressed  during  the  first  war,  that  "  foreigners  had 
no  knee-joints." 

We  turned  our  backs  on  the  capital  with  perhaps  as  much 
pleasure  as  we  had  experienced  on  entering  its  gates.  How 
could  I  foresee  that  for  me  there  were  held  in  reserve  within 
that  fortress  of  conservatism  thirty-one  years  of  busy,  happy 
life !  I  left  it  free  from  any  illusion  as  to  its  vaunted  magnifi- 
cence. Whatever  of  the  grand  or  beautiful  it  contains  has  to 
be  sought  for ;  the  general  aspect,  that  forces  itself  on  all  the 
senses,  is  one  of  decay  and  dirt.  The  walls  are  imposing,  the 
outer  one  inclosing  a  circuit  of  twenty-three  miles,  and  that 
of  the  Tartar  city,  fourteen ;  but  the  shops  are  mean,  and  the 
streets,  though  wide,  are  filthy  in  the  extreme.  No  building  is 
more  than  one  story  in  height,  and  blind  walls  facing  the  streets 
shut  in  from  view  the  mansions  of  the  rich  and  great.  There 
is  no  better  description  than  the  following  lines  from  "  Childe 
Harold,"  which  I  then  wrote  in  my  journal  as  expressive  of 
my  first  impression.  A  libel  on  Lisbon,  they  are  true  of 
Peking : 


202  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"  But  whoso  entereth  within  this  town, 

That,  sheening  far,  celestial  seems  to  he. 
Disconsolate  will  wander  up  and  down 

'Mid  many  things  unsightly  to  strange  e'e; 
For  hut  and  palace  show  like  filthily. 

The  dingy  denizens  are  reared  in  dirt, 
Ne  personage  of  high  or  mean  degree 

Doth  care  for  cleanness  of  surtout  or  shirt, 
Though  shent  with  Egypt's  plague,  unkempt,  unwashed,  unhurt!" 


Ratifications  were  exxhanged  with  the  viceroy  Hengfu  at 
the  town  of  Peitang,  whence  we  had  started.  On  the  com- 
pletion of  the  ceremony  he  said  to  Mr.  Ward  that  he  had  a 
"  prisoner  to  release,  an  American  who  had  been  captured  in 
the  battle,  one  of  the  party  sent  to  the  aid  of  the  English." 
In  vain  Mr.  Ward  protested  that  we  had  not  fired  a  shot  or 
contributed  a  man.  Here  was  the  man,  and  he  was  brought 
out  to  confront  us,  the  viceroy  betraying  a  malicious  pleasiu'e 
in  our  anticipated  conviction.  The  fellow  proved  to  be  a 
Canadian,  and  confessed  that  he  had  called  himself  an  Amer- 
ican in  hopes  of  securing  better  treatment.  He  had  been  in 
the  United  States,  he  said,  but  had  never  taken  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  The  viceroy's  interpreter  made  him  say  that, 
"  though  he  had  been  in  the  United  States,  he  did  not  belong 
to  their  religion."  I  corrected  the  mistake,  and  the  viceroy 
insisted  on  my  continuing  to  interpret  to  the  end  of  the  inter- 
view. We  took  over  the  Canadian,  and  passed  him  on  to  the 
British  admiral. 

The  viceroy's  interpreter  was  a  pupil  of  the  first  Bisliop 
Boone,  and  bore  the  l)ishoi)'s  name.  He  was  loud  in  his  pro- 
fessions of  Christian  zeal,  and  so  clever  that  I  conceived  high 
hopes  of  his  usefulness.  Not  long  after  this  he  renounced 
Christianity,  married  two  wi\-es,  and  was  made  a  district  mag- 
istrate in  the  interior.  Among  the  graduates  of  Christian 
schools  such  defections  are  happily  the  exception,  not  the  rule. 


THE    WAR  RENEWED 


203 


The  Rev.  W.  Aitchison,  assistant  interpreter,  died  on  our 
way  to  the  coast.  A  graduate  of  Yale,  and  of  more  than 
average  abih'ty,  lie  suffered  from  feeble  health  and  low  spirits, 
dying,  as  Dr.  Fox  said,  because  he  had  "made  up  his  mind 
not  to  live."  Carried  in  a  litter  on  the  backs  of  mules,  he 
breathed  his  last  alone  on  the  road  and  was  buried  at,  sea, 
curiously  fulfilling  a  prayer  or  presentiment  expressed  in  the 
following  morbid  effusion  found  among  his  papers : 

"  Let  no  friend  be  near  to  close  my  fixed  eye 
Or  bend  his  ear  for  my  last  faint  sigh ; 
I'e  not  tlie  churcliyard  my  place  of  rest; 
Let  no  hallowed  dust  fall  on  my  breast; 

"  Where  sleep  my  fathers,  let  me  not  sleep; 
May  loved  ones  o'er  my  grave  ne'er  weep! 
Let  no  speaking  marble  mark  the  spot 
Where  'neath  the  clods  my  body  shall  rot." 

Putting  "  waves  "  in  place  of  "  clods,"  never  was  a  seer's  second 
sight  more  exact. 


THK    liMliASSV    ON    TllK    Kt>.\U    lu    I'liKl.NG.       (SEK    I'AGK    lijj.) 


CHAPTER   XIII 


LAST  VIEWS  OF  NINGPO 


A  Chinese  steamer  and  its   owner— A  steamer   short  of  coal— Actors 
before  the  curtain. 

MY  trips  to  the  North  had  the  effect  of  directing  my  atten- 
tion to  that  part  of  the  empire  as  a  field  of  labor,  and  of 
detaching  me  from  Ningpo,  a  city  of  which  I  can  truly  say, 
"  With  all  thy  faults  I  love  thee  still."  *  There  I  had  passed  ten 
years  of  youthful  energy,  years  in  which  the  mind  is  most  sus- 
ceptible to  impressions  from  new  scenes,  and  in  which  the 
faculties  are  in  the  best  state  for  the  acquisition  of  a  foreign 
language.  But  my  wife  and  I  had  suffered  from  malaria,  and 
we  hoped  after  a  visit  home  to  find  on  the  shores  of  the  North- 
ern Gulf  a  fresh  arena  with  a  more  salubrious  climate. 

For  passage  to  Shanghai  I  a])plied  in  writing  to  Mr.  Chang 
Luseng,  a  native  gentleman  who  had  recently  ])urchased  a 
steamer.  He  replied  in  polite  phrase :  "  If  you  will  conde- 
scend to  accept  such  accommodations  as  my  poor  ship  can 
offer  I  shall  esteem  it  an  honor  to  convey  you  and  your  family 
to  Shanghai.  In  so  doing,  I  shall  regard  myself  as  discharg- 
ing a  debt  of  hospitality  which  my  country  owes  to  scholars 

*  Laurence  Olijjliant,  writin<^  in  1S59,  speaks  of  Ningpo  as  the  "  city 
whicli  decidedly  raid<s  first  among  those  at  present  open  to  luiropeans. 
It  IS  also  celebrated  for  having  prcjduced  some  of  tlie  ablest  scholars  in 
China." 

204 


LAST   VIEWS   OF  X/XGPO  205 

from  afar."  When  I  tendered  payment  he  declined  to  receive 
it,  showing  that  the  last  sentence  of  his  note  was  not  a  conven- 
tional courtesy. 

With  Mr.  Chang  I  was  already  somewhat  acquainted,  and 
our  relations  became  more  intimate,  ripening  into  a  friendship 
of  many  years.  A  scholar  by  profession,  and  born  to  the  in- 
heritance of  wealth,  he  may  be  taken  as  a  type  of  the  best 
class  of  Chinese  literati,  those  in  whom  a  knowledge  of  ancient 
learning  does  not  beget  a  prejudice  against  modern  science. 
He  had  been  much  struck  by  the  medical  skill  of  Dr.  McCartee, 
and  learning  that  most  medicines  in  the  West  are  prepared  by 
the  rules  of  chemistry,  he  requested  the  doctor  to  teach  him 
something  of  that  science,  actually  filling  two  large  folios  with 
notes  on  the  subject.  Three  years  later,  when  I  met  him  in 
Shanghai  and  showed  him  the  manuscript  of  my  translation  of 
Wheaton's  "  International  Law,"  he  at  once  perceived  the 
bearing  of  the  work,  as  indispensable  to  the  new  place  China 
was  called  to  occupy  among  the  nations.  He  foresaw  too 
that  the  book  would  attract  the  attention  of  the  highest  digni- 
taries in  the  land,  and,  unsolicited,  he  wrote  a  preface  which 
exhibited  a  comprehension  of  foreign  relations  very  rare  at 
that  epoch.  While  it  served  to  give  wing  to  the  book,  it  no 
doubt  had  something  to  do  witli  opening  for  him  a  door  to 
diplomatic  employment.  He  was  sent  as  minister  adjunct  to 
Japan,  and  on  his  return  appointed  to  a  prefecture  near  Pe- 
king. His  younger  brother,  Chang  Tingfong,  came  to  the 
United  States  as  attache  to  the  Chinese  legation.  Subse- 
quently for  more  than  ten  years  he  has  held  a  secretaryship  in 
the  legation  in  London.  When  I  first  met  the  elder  Chang  he 
was  young  and  handsome  despite  his  shaven  pate  and  dangling 
cue.  Having  already  won  a  baccalaureate  in  the  civil-service 
examinations,  he  might  have  counted  on  high  preferment  if  he 
had  adhered  to  the  beaten  track.  He  saw,  liowever,  that  new 
forces  had  come  on  the  stage  which  must  inevitably  change 


2o6  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

the  old  order.  Abandoning  the  business  of  verse-making,  he 
struck  out  a  novel  career  by  purchasing  the  steamer  above 
referred  to,  the  first  Chinese  in  private  hfe  to  make  such  a 
venture. 

His  ship  did  but  little  in  the  carrying  trade,  as  he  found  it 
more  profitable  to  chase  pirates,  in  which  exciting  pursuit  his 
range  was  not  limited  to  any  particular  portion  of  the  extensive 
sea-coast.  On  a  cruise  to  the  North  he  once  put  into  the  port 
of  Kiaochau,  where  a  steamer  had  never  been  seen.  Going 
ashore,  the  local  mandarin  arrested  him,  and  he  narrowly  es- 
caped being  thrown  into  prison.  The  official  let  him  go,  but 
reported  him  to  the  throne  and  had  him  deprived  of  his  insig- 
nia of  rank,  not  for  the  violation  of  any  existing  law,  but  for 
frightening  the  people  by  bringing  a  "  fire-ship  "  into  that  quiet 
seaport. 

Mr.  Chang  was  rather  deficient  in  the  religious  sense,  but 
he  had  common  sense  enough  to  perceive  the  absurdities  of 
the  popular  superstitions  and  the  benefits  China  might  reap 
from  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  Coming  to  my  house 
in  deep  sorrow  shortly  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  he  said  tliat 
at  the  funeral  he  had  refused  to  conform  to  a  very  important 
item  in  the  Euddhist  ceremonial,  adding  that  she  was  so  vir- 
tuous and  good  that  it  would  be  an  outrage  to  represent  her 
soul  as  carried  olT  to  hell  between  two  devils.  The  paper 
images  of  those  devils  had  consequently  not  appeared  in  her 
funeral  procession.  He  published  an  essay  to  })rove  tliat  China 
had  derived  more  benefit  from  Christian  missions  than  from 
foreign  commerce. 

Anotlier  voyage  on  a  native-owned  steamer  is  worth  men- 
tion. Poinding  myself  in  Shanghai  in  1862,  after  my  rclurn 
from  the  I'nited  States,  I  desired  to  go  to  Ningpo  l)efore  j>ro- 
ceeding  to  the  Xortli.  'lakiiig  passage  on  u  small  steamer  wliich 
had  just  been  purcha.sed  bv  Air.  Wang,  a  Xingpo  man,  on  the 
way  d(.nvn  I  made  accjuaintance  with  llie  fortunate  possesscjr. 


LAST   VIEWS   OF  NlXCrO  207 

"  My  little  steamer,"  said  he,  "  is  to  come  back  by  way  of 
Chusan  in  two  days.  If  you  are  ready  I  hope  you  will  honor 
me  with  your  company  ;  but  if  you  are  not  ready  at  the  precise 
time  we  can  wait  for  you  a  day  or  two,  so  you  need  not  hurry." 
I  took  care  to  be  on  time,  but,  to  show  that  his  courtesy  was 
not  confined  to  words,  Mr.  Wang  refused  to  allow  me  to  pay 
for  my  passage.  The  termination  of  this  voyage  (the  first  for 
the  little  steamer  under  Chinese  management)  was  extremely 
comical.  When  fifty  miles  from  port  the  engineer  reported 
that  he  was  short  of  coal.  A  strong  tide  was  against  us,  and 
our  last  lump  was  in  the  furnace  before  we  entered  the  Wusung 
River.  Again  the  engineer  came  to  ask  what  was  to  be  done. 
"  Shall  we  drop  anchor  and  take  the  chances  of  getting  help 
from  some  passing  steamer?"  "  No,"  said  the  owner;  "there 
is  no  telling  how  long  we  should  have  to  wait.  Bum  the  gun- 
carriages."  The  guns  were  dismounted,  and  the  heavy  wooden 
frames  put  into  the  fire.  In  half  an  hour  the  steam  again  got 
low.  "  Burn  the  tables,"  said  the  owner  ;  and  they  had  actu- 
ally begun  on  the  tables  when  a  steamer  hove  in  sight  and  re- 
lieved our  distress.  Through  it  all  the  owner  was  as  calm  and 
collected  as  an  Indian  warrior  contemplating  the  flames  of  his 
funeral  pile. 

Ningpo,  where  I  had  formed  lifelong  friendships,  served  a 
long  apprenticeship  in  Chinese  studies,  and  had  done  some 
of  my  best  work,  I  never  saw  again.  Looking  back,  the  eye 
rests  on  several  persons  of  more  or  less  distinction. 

The  most  remarkable  figure  in  the  foreign  community  was 
Miss  Aldersey,  an  English  missionary,  who  was  unconnected 
with  any  society.  Born  with  beauty  and  fortune,  she  escaped 
matrimony,  not  for  want  of  temptation,  for  she  was  known  to 
refuse  at  least  one  offer.  She  was  early  attracted  toward  the 
missionary  work,  but  remained  at  home  nursing  her  aged  father 
until  he  no  longer  required  her  care  ;  then  she  spent  some  years 
in  Java,  and  finally,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  came  to  China. 


208  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

Though  not  young  when  she  left  home,  she  learned  to  read 
Chinese,  and  to  speak  it  in  a  way  to  be  understood  by  her 
pupils  if  not  by  strangers. 

Sparing  no  expense,  she  leased  a  large  house  in  the  midst 
of  the  city,  and  opened  a  school  for  girls.  It  was  a  model  in- 
stitution, though  too  early  in  the  history  of  the  station  to  yield 
the  best  results.  For  three  years  at  her  request  I  ministered 
to  the  church  in  her  house,  and  I  cherish  a  vivid  impression 
of  the  energy  displayed  by  that  excellent  woman,  notwithstand- 
ing a  feeble  frame  and  frequent  ailments.  The  impression  she 
made  on  the  Chinese,  whether  Christian  or  pagan,  was  pro- 
found. The  latter  firmly  believed  that,  as  England  was  ruled 
by  a  woman,  so  Miss  Aldersey  had  been  delegated  to  be  the 
ruler  of  our  foreign  community.  The  British  consul,  they  said, 
always  obeyed  her  commands.  Several  shocks  of  earthquake 
having  alarmed  the  people,  they  imputed  the  disturbance  to 
Miss  Aldersey's  magic  power,  alleging  that  they  had  seen  her 
mount  the  city  wall  before  the  dawn  of  day  and  open  a  bottle 
in  which  she  kept  confined  certain  strong  spirits,  which  pro- 
ceeded to  shake  the  pillars  of  the  earth.  No  wonder  they 
thought  so.  The  wonder  is  that  they  did  not  burn  or  stone 
her  for  a  witch.  Her  strange  habits  suggested  something  un- 
canny. The  year  round  she  was  accustomed  to  walk  on  the 
wall  at  five  in  the  morning,  and  with  such  undeviating  punctu- 
ality that  in  winter-time  she  was  preceded  by  a  servant  carry- 
ing a  lantern.  A  bottle  which  she  carried  in  her  hand  really 
contained  "  strong  spirits,"  the  spirits  of  hartshorn,  which  she 
constantly  used  to  relieve  headache  and  as  an  antidote  for  ill 
odors. 

In  the  summer,  unwilling  to  leave  her  school  to  go  to  the 
seaside,  she  would  climl)  t(;  the  ninth  story  of  a  lofty  pagoda 
and  sit  there  through  the  long  hours  of  the  afternoon,  sniffing 
the  wind  that  came  from  the  sea.  At  such  times  she  was 
always  accompanied  by  some  of  her  pupils,  so  that  her  work 


LAST   VIEIVS   OF  NINGPO  209 

was  not  for  a  moment  suspended.  So  parsimonious  was  she 
of  time  that  she  had  them  read  to  her  while  taking  her  meals, 
A  favorite  pupil  was  Sanavong,  a  young  widow  of  twenty 
summers,  who  had  been  in  the  school  before  her  marriage. 
Less  dark  than  her  sisters,  a  tinge  of  sadness  rested  on  her 
pretty  features  that  spoke  of  more  than  common  sorrow.  But, 
alas!  such  griefs  as  hers  are  not  infrequent  under  the  despotic 
organization  of  the  Chinese  family.  Betrothed  by  her  parents 
without  any  choice  of  her  own,  she  had  been  married  when 
scarcely  out  of  her  childhood  to  a  man  she  had  never  seen. 
The  young  man  dying  soon  after,  she  remained  with  his  pa- 
rents as  a  drudge  and  chattel.  They  reproached  her  with  hav- 
ing brought  ill  luck  into  the  family.  The  fault  was  really  that 
of  an  astrologer,  who,  on  comparing  their  natal  stars,  predicted 
that  the  union  would  be  happy ;  but  the  thought  that  their 
son  had  been  the  victim  of  a  mistake  did  not  make  them  more 
lenient  in  their  treatment  of  her.  They  resolved  to  compel  her 
to  marry  again,  that  they  might  free  themselves  from  an  evil 
influence  and  recoup  themselves  for  the  money  spent  in  pres- 
ents to  her  parents.  But  widows  are  at  a  discount  in  the 
Chinese  marriage  market  even  more  than  elsewhere.  The 
amount  offered  in  the  way  of  presents,  or,  to  speak  plainly, 
purchase-money,  did  not  satisfy  them.  They  could  get  more 
by  selling  her  without  the  conditions  of  honorable  wedlock ; 
and  this  they  were  about  to  do  when,  the  affair  coming  to  the 
ears  of  Miss  Aldersey,  she  to  rescue  the  poor  girl  became  her 
purchaser,  violating  the  letter  of  English  law  in  order  to  carry 
out  its  spirit.  Eventually  Sanavong  married  a  native  preacher, 
who  had  a  country  parish.  In  my  itinerations  I  once  lodged 
at  her  house,  and  was  greatly  struck  with  the  grace  and  dignity 
with  which  she  presided  over  a  Christian  household. 

Many  such  households  call  Miss  Aldersey  blessed,  and  I  can 
truly  say  that  in  the  long  list  of  devoted  women  who  have 
labored  for  China  I  know  of  no  nobler  name  than  that  of  Mary 


2IO  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Ann  Aldersey.  The  following  letter  of  Sanavong,  written  in 
her  own  simple  English  and  addressed  to  her  benefactress  on 
the  latter's  resignation  of  her  school,  is  a  cardiphonia  that 
speaks  for  both. 

"My  very  dear  Miss  Aldersey:  I  beg  you  to  receive 
my  little  present ;  it  is  only  to  show  I  remember  your  kindness 
to  me ;  I  hope  you  will  use  it  to  show  you  hke  it.  It  is  a 
Chinese  bag ;  I  thought  you  might  like  to  see  such. 

"May  the  Lord  bless  your  old  age,  and  let  you  see  a  thou- 
sand and  a  million  sinners  come  to  look  to  the  Lamb  of  God, 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  while  you  are  yet 
alive. 

"When  I  heard  you  were  to  leave  us  here,  how  sad  I  felt! 
for  you  have  just  been  like  my  mother  to  me.  Yea,  my  own 
mother  has  not  been  half  like  you.  I  was  just  a  young  help- 
less widow  and  a  motherless  child  cast  upon  the  wide  and 
selfish  world  ;  but  I  quickly  remembered  one  text,  John  xiv. 
1 8,  which  you  bid  me  to  remember  when  I  was  thirteen  years 
old.  At  that  time  I  was  about  to  leave  school.  [She  was 
going  to  be  married.]  You  said  to  me,  '  Sanavong,  you  will 
not  be  alone ;  your  Saviour  will  be  with  you  there.' 

"  Pray  the  Lord  for  me,  my  very  dear  Christian  mother, 
that  I  may  be  the  Lord's  useful  and  faithful,  wise,  humble 
servant  in  this  bitter  and  sinful  world.  ^Vhen  we  are  no  more 
in  this  world  we  will  be  with  our  blessed  Saviour,  to  rest  in 
heaven,  to  part  no  more. 

"  Yours  affectionately, 
(Signed)  "  Sanavong." 

Dr.  D.  B.  McCartee  was  the  pioneer  of  the  station  and 
founder  of  the  l^resbyterian  Mission.  Genial  and  gifted, 
he  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Chinese  as  well  as  with 
fcjreigners,  acquiring  among  the  former  a  high  reputation  for 


LAST   VIEWS  OF  NINGPO  211 

medical  skill.  A  man  whom  he  had  restored  to  sight  by  oper- 
ating for  cataract  exclaimed  on  opening  his  eyes,  "  I  never 
thought  foreigners  looked  like  that,"  meaning  his  physician. 
He  had  been  blind  for  seven  years,  and  always  heard  them 
called  /iipigmao  ("  redheads  ")  or  kwetze  ("  devils  ").  One  day 
I  assisted  at  the  amputation  of  a  man's  leg,  when  the  physi- 
cian, on  tying  the  last  ligament,  fainted  away.  His  nerves  were 
too  delicate  for  such  rough  work,  and  he  long  ago  renounced 
the  shedding  of  blood.  For  some  years  he  occupied  a  chair 
in  the  University  of  Tokio,  and  now,  after  fifty-two  years  in  the 
East,  he  is  still  doing  missionary  work  in  the  capital  of  Japan. 

Another  prominent  member  of  the  Ningpo  mission  was  the 
Rev.  M.  S.  Culbertson.  His  monument  in  Ningpo  is  a  large 
brick  church  of  which  he  was  the  arc-hitect,  and  his  memory 
is  preserved  among  missionaries  by  a  version  of  the  Scriptures 
which  he  made  conjointly  with  Dr.  Bridgman.*  Educated  at 
West  Point,  along  with  Halleck,  Beauregard,  and  Sherman, 
Culbertson  held  a  commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the 
United  States  army  when  the  pressure  of  religious  convictions 
impelled  him  to  join  the  spiritual  crusade  in  the  far  East.  If 
he  could  have  seen  through  the  veil  of  the  future  might  he  not 
have  decided  differently,  and  lived  to  lead  the  armies  of  his 
country,  instead  of  filling  an  early  grave  on  a  foreign  shore? 

Mrs.  Coulter,  daughter  of  President  Crowe,  of  Hanover  Col- 
lege, was  among  the  playmates  of  my  childhood,  and  it  was  a 
welcome  providence  that  brought  us  together  in  that  far-off  mis- 
sion.   Her  husband,  who  had  charge  of  the  mission  press,  dying 

*  Dr.  Bridgman  was  the  pioneer  of  American  missions  to  China.  Sent 
to  Canton  by  the  American  Board  in  1830,  he  found  there  Dr.  Morri- 
son, tlie  sole  representative  of  tlie  missionary  movement  from  the  side  of 
(Jreat  liritain.  He  founded  tlie  "  Cliinese  Repository,"  a  magazine  tliat 
did  much  to  make  China  better  known  to  the  outside  world,  and  in  1847 
removed  to  Shanghai  to  join  a  committee  in  the  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. 


212  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

on  the  threshold  of  his  work,  she  returned  home  and  has  taken 
a  leading  part  in  missions  to  the  freedmen  of  the  South,  train- 
ing in  the  meantime  her  two  sons  for  positions  of  distinguished 
usefulness.  One  of  them  has  been  president  of  the  Indiana 
State  University,  and  now  presides  over  Lake  Forest  Univer- 
sity, Illinois. 

The  Rev.  H.  V.  Rankin  and  his  wife  opened  a  boarding- 
school  for  girls,  which  continues  to  flourish.  After  twenty 
years  of  not  unfruitful  labors,  he  fell  on  the  field,  leaving  the 
memory  of  a  character  which  I  should  pronounce  faultless  if 
I  dare  apply  that  epithet  to  anything  human. 

The  Rev.  S.  N.  D.  Martin,  my  brother,  was  another  associate 
in  the  work  of  foreign  missions.  Tw^o  years  my  senior,  he  has  been 
to  me  di/nidii/m  anintcE.  His  figure  mingles  with  the  recollections 
of  my  childhood  and  youth.  As  boys  we  often  quarreled  and 
sometimes  fought,  I  not  having  learned  the  Chinese  doctrine, 
so  important  for  the  peace  of  families,  that  a  younger  should 
always  be  in  subjection  to  an  older  brother.  As  we  grew  in 
years  our  affection  gained  in  strength.  At  college  we  at- 
tended the  same  classes,  joined  the  same  literary  societies,  and 
fell  in  love,  not  with  the  same  girl,  but  with  sisters.  Fortunately 
I  fell  out,  or  I  should  not  have  had  the  lifelong  companion- 
.ship  of  one  who  to  me  has  been  more  than  half  of  my  soul. 
After  eight  years  of  missionary  service  he  was  compelled  to 
retire  by  a  disease  of  the  throat,  of  which  he  was  first  made 
aware  by  a  hemorrhage  brought  on  by  the  exertion  of  swim- 
ming a  river  in  returning  from  preaching  in  the  city.  What 
a  nice  bit  of  romance  might  be  made  of  this  in  the  interest  of 
missions — a  devoted  missionary  exposing  his  life  every  day  in 
swimming  a  river  to  preach  the  gospel!  But  at  the  risk  of 
spoiling  a  ])icture  truth  comj)els  me  to  state  that  there  was  a 
ferry-boat,  and  that  he  took  to  the  water  from  an  acpiatic  habit 
formed  in  early  youth.  The  hymns  which  he  composed  are  still 
sung  in  the  native  churches  of  that  region,  and  the  pulpits  of 


LAST   VIEWS  OF  NJNGPO  213 

those  churches  are  largely  filled  by  pastors  who  were  trained 
in  a  mission  school  under  his  care.  The  college  at  Hangchau 
claims  the  succession  to  that  school,  which  was  first  opened  by 
the  Rev.  R.  Q.  Way. 

One  of  my  most  intimate  associates  was  Dr.  Nevius,  late  of 
Chefoo.  He  was  the  first  missionary  to  establish  himself  at 
Hangchau,  the  capital  of  the  province,  unless  Bishop  Burdon 
may  contest  that  honor,  and  one  of  the  first  to  break  soil  in 
the  province  of  Shantung,  where  so  rich  a  harvest  has  since 
been  gathered.  The  great  day  of  accounts  will  alone  reveal 
the  extent  of  his  apostohc  labors.  Besides  planting  churches 
he  displayed  his  breadth  and  enterprise  in  transplanting  some 
of  our  best  American  fruits,  which  have  proved  a  great  boon 
to  the  people.  His  wife,  who  survives  to  write  his  biography, 
is  a  remarkable  woman.  Shortly  after  entering  the  mission 
field  she  was  under  the  necessity  of  returning  home  to  avoid 
a  threatened  collapse.  Her  husband  offered  to  accompany 
her.  "  Never,"  she  replied  in  my  hearing ;  "  sooner  would  I 
die  than  take  you  from  your  work." 

Frail  as  she  appeared,  she  had  before  her  nearly  forty  years 
in  the  foreign  field,  during  which,  in  addition  to  other  forms 
of  activity,  she  did  much  to  naturalize  our  church  music  in 
China.  She  has  long  since  lost  her  own  sweet  voice,  but 
hundreds  of  voices  trained  by  her  continue  the  service  of 
song.* 

Of  Bishop  Russell  and  Messrs.  Cobbold  and  Gough,  an  ad- 
mirable trio,  who  formed  the  English  Church  Mission,  I  have 
spoken  already.  To  them  the  two  Monies,  one  a  bishop,  are 
worthy  successors,  all  five  graduates  of  Oxford,  Cambridge, 
and  Dublin. 

In  the  American  Baptist  Mission  were  three  men  of  note  ; 
the  Rev.  J.  Goddard,  a  translator  of   the   Bible;    Dr.  D.  J. 

*  The  biograpliy  is  published  by  the  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company, 
with  an  introduction  by  me. 


214  A    CYCLE   OP  CATHAY 

MacGowan,  a  physician  of  rare  intelligence ;  and  the  Rev. 
E.  C.  Lord,  who,  though  a  good  scholar,  a  good  preacher,  and  a 
good  consul,  is,  like  Henry  VIII.,  best  known  for  the  number 
of  his  wives. 

I  conclude  with  two  names,  more  eminent  than  any  of  the 
preceding — Robert  Hart,  and  Hudson  Taylor.  From  a  bud- 
ding interpreter  the  former  has  blossomed  into  the  famous 
statesman  known  as  the  "  Great  I.  G."  His  career,  to  which 
there  is  no  parallel  in  the  East  or  West,  will  be  further  noticed 
in  connection  with  Peking.  The  latter,  w-ho  rules  as  many 
men,  and  with  a  sway  not  less  absolute,  is  the  Loyola  of  Prot- 
estant missions.  When  I  iirst  met  him  he  was  a  mystic  absorbed 
in  religious  dreams,  waiting  to  have  his  work  revealed — not 
idle,  but  aimless.  When  he  had  money  he  spent  it  on  charity 
to  needy  Chinese,  and  then  was  reduced  to  sore  straits  himself. 
When  the  vocation  found  him  it  made  him  a  new  man,  with 
iron  will  and  untiring  energy.  He  erred  in  leading  his  follow- 
ers to  make  war  on  ancestral  worship,  instead  of  seeking  to 
reform  it ;  still,  in  founding  and  conducting  the  China  Inland 
Mission,  he  has  made  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  missionary 
enterprise. 


PART   II 

LIFE  IN  NORTH  CHINA 


215 


■^  >V  ^  ^  aV  aV  aV  aV  "^  A^  aV  A^^  aV  >V  aV  a^^  aV  aV  aV  aV 

O^k.     U'Ik.WI.     U'<K    .i  I.    a't..,.!!.     U^I../a/W    a'i.,Wl.     ^'^  .  W  I.  .  .i'^  ,^  W     .a'l 


%"(><  «*>/<«(>,•*>'  -*>  <A>'«*.y  «AV'W>  <^>-(.y  <A>/»^,ir'>A>.':<y«  «A>3 

^     i.     ^  ^      A      ,.--A      ,^.i      - -x;*,  x./x  .♦- XV.-X  ;>i  •wvrli^^-.fv 

^  j^V  ^  >|^  >|V  ^|V  ^V  V^V  ^|V  >^Vi  >|\fe  >^v  */^V  >^V  >/^V  >^V  >|Vt  >^  >^V  jrf^V 


LIFE  IN   NORTH   CHINA 


CHAPTER    I 


REMOVAL  TO   PEKING 
The  capital  captured — Scenes  at  the  liills — Temples  and  priests 

FROM  the  day  of  the  defeat  at  Taku  a  storm  was  gathering 
that  was  destined  to  burst  on  the  palaces  of  Peking.  One 
thing,  and  only  one,  could  have  averted  it ;  namely,  that  the 
Chinese  should  treat  the  American  minister  with  generous  con- 
fidence, secure  his  good  offices,  and  give  evidence  that  they 
meant  to  ratify  the  treaties.  They  lost  their  opportunity  by 
fiddling  while  Rome  was  burning,  quibbling  over  the  details 
of  an  absurd  ceremony.  By  the  indignities  to  which  they  sub- 
jected us  they  showed  the  English  and  French  ministers  what 
was  in  store  for  them  if  they  had  presented  themselves,  and 
convinced  the  Allies  that  the  rupture  was  premeditated. 

In  August,  i860,  the  feeble  redoubts  at  Peitang  were  taken 
without  the  firing  of  a  shot,  the  Chinese  either  imagining  that  the 
shallows  would  prevent  a  landing  at  that  point,  or  that  the  Allies 
would  be  foolish  enough  to  repeat  the  tactics  of  the  previous 
year.  A  march  of  ten  miles  placed  the  forces  in  rear  of  the 
great  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho.     Impregnable  from  the 

217 


2i8  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

front,  they  were  not  so  strong  on  the  landward  side,  and  they 
were  soon  in  the  hands  of  the  assailants,  notwithstanding  a 
defense  brave  enough  to  excite  the  admiration  of  Colonel  (now 
Lord)  Wolseley,  then  commanding  a  division  of  the  British 
force. 

Tientsin  fell  without  a  blow,  and  poor  old  Kweiliang  ap- 
peared on  the  scene  once  more,  his  master  supposing  that  the 
victors  would  be  induced  to  play  over  again  the  farce  of  the 
Mirage  Temple  and  the  fruitless  parleys  of  the  previous  year. 
This  time  they  felt  strong  enough  to  advance  to  the  capital, 
and  diplomacy  was  brushed  aside.  Twice  the  Chinese  made 
a  stand,  and  twice  they  were  put  to  ilight,  though  the  Allies 
had  a  force  of  only  twenty  thousand  to  oppose  an  immense 
horde  of  foot  and  horse.  It  was  the  old  story  of  discipline 
versus  numbers.  On  the  wall  of  an  inn  near  the  scene  of  one 
of  these  battles  I  found  a  pasquinade  in  Chinese  aimed  at  the 
Tartar  general,  concluding  with  the  couplet: 

"  When  he  fights  and  runs  away, 
Is  it  war  or  is  it  play?  " 

From  the  other  battle,  which  took  place  at  a  bridge  over  the 
canal  near  Peking,  was  derived  the  title  of  the  Duke  of  Palikao, 
who,  ten  years  later,  figured  in  the  defense  of  Paris. 

Prior  to  the  first  battle  overtures  had  been  made  by  Chinese 
commissioners  with  a  view  to  stopping  the  advance  of  the  army 
and  arranging  terms  of  peace.  Consul  Parkes,  accompanied 
by  a  score  of  ofhcers  and  men,  was  sent  under  a  flag  of  truce 
to  meet  these  commissioners.  Finding  that  the  Cliincse  were 
j)reparing  an  ambush,  Parkes  succeeded  in  giving  the  P'.nglish 
general  notice  of  the  fact ;  but  when  he  applied  for  a  pass  to 
return  to  the  English  army  (the  l)attle  having  begun),  he  and 
his  jjarty  were  made  prisoners.  Overjoyed  at  having  in  his 
hands  the  author  of  the  war,  the  Chinese  commander  (Sengko- 
linsin,  the  Mongol  prince)  overwhelmed  him  with  a  torrent  of 


REMOVAL    TO  PEKING  219 

abuse  and  had  him  consigned  to  a  separate  prison.  There 
he  was  incarcerated  with  a  single  companion,  Mr.  (now  Sir 
Henry)  Loch,  governor  of  the  Cape ;  while  his  companions 
were  marched  to  the  summer  palace,  where  they  were  left  to 
perish,  bound  hand  and  foot,  ^^'hen  the  emperor  heard  of  the 
defeat  of  his  troops  he  fled  to  Jehol,  beyond  the  Great  Wall. 

The  city  held  out,  its  defenders  trusting  to  the  strength  of 
its  wall  (from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  height  and  nearly  as  much 
in  thickness),  a  formidable  structure  if  properly  manned.  The 
summer  palace,  from  which  the  emperor  had  fled,  was  more 
exposed.  The  inclosure,  six  miles  in  circumference,  and  form- 
ing a  city  in  itself,  was  unfortified,  and  thus  was  easily  taken_, 
though  a  small  army  of  eunuchs  fought  bravely  in  its  defense. 
The  discovery  of  the  corpses  of  those  British  soldiers — the  hap- 
less victims  of  treachery  and  cruelty — filled  the  army  with  in- 
dignation and  led  Lord  Elgin  to  order  the  destruction  of  the 
palace — a  proceeding  not  permitted  by  international  usage,  but 
one  which  he  felt  at  liberty  to  employ  with  a  people  who 
showed  no  regard  for  the  laws  of  civilized  warfare.  Sir 
Thomas  Wade,  who  was  Chinese  secretary  to  Lord  Elgin,  has 
since  told  me  that  the  motive  was  not  so  much  vengeance  as 
a  humane  desire  to  strike  at  the  court  without  destroying  the 
people — the  Yuen  Ming  Yuen  being  situated  seven  miles  be- 
yond the  city  gates.  For  three  days  the  smoke  of  its  burning 
rose  toward  heaven,  and,  borne  by  a  northwest  breeze,  hung 
like  a  pall  over  the  haughty  capital,  striking  terror  into  its 
authorities  and  inducing  them  to  open  the  gates  only  half  an 
hour  before  the  time  set  for  the  bombardment. 

Heng-ki,  who  had  been  hoppo,  or  port  collector,  at  Can- 
ton, and  subsequently  became  minister  in  the  Tsungli  Yamen, 
had  befriended  Parkes  and  Loch  and  procured  their  release. 
To  him  also  belongs  the  merit  of  having  induced  the  military 
mandarins  to  open  the  gates  by  assuring  them  that  the  victors 
would  keep  their  word  and  spare  the  city.     The  inhabitants 


220  A    CYCLE   OF  CATlIAY 

were  paralyzed  with  fear,  expecting  nothing  but  death  and  pil- 
lage, the  looting  and  burning  of  the  summer  palace  not  tend- 
ing to  quiet  their  apprehensions. 

Liu,  an  old  Tartar  mandarin,  told  me  that  on  the  day  when 
the  troops  were  to  enter  he  barred  his  doors,  assembled  his 
family  about  him,  and  drank  deeply  to  fortify  himself  for  the 
dreadful  act  he  had  resolved  to  perform,  which  was  to  throw 
the  women  and  children  into  a  well  and  then  jump  in  after 
them.  Preparations  for  the  same  grim  sacrifice  were  made  in 
many  houses,  but  messengers  passed  from  door  to  door,  shout- 
ing :  "  Be  not  afraid ;  the  English  have  entered  and  are  doing 
no  harm." 

Prince  Kung,  one  of  the  emperor's  brothers,  coming  forward 
as  plenipotentiary,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  with  each  of 
the  belligerents,  and  in  a  few  days  the  barbarian  force  with  its 
irresistible  arms  was  on  its  march  to  the  sea.  One  P^nglishman 
alone  remained  in  the  capital — Mr.  Adkins,  afterward  consul, 
whom  I  had  known  at  Ningpo  as  student  interpreter.  He 
had  the  courage  to  pass  the  winter  in  a  prince's  mansion  that 
had  been  fixed  on  for  the  residence  of  a  British  minister.  "  A 
treaty  extorted  by  an  enemy  under  your  walls  is  a  brand  of  in- 
famy," was  a  maxim  of  the  Chinese  feudal  age.  Often  have 
I  heard  it  cited,  with  the  addition,  "  How  much  more  a  treaty 
signed  within  the  walls!  "  meaning  that  China  would  repudiate 
the  engagements  then  entered  into  if  ever  she  found  herself  al)le 
to  do  so.  It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  slenderness  of  the 
thread  on  which  the  destiny  of  a  nation  sometimes  hangs  that 
on  Hienfung's  abandonment  of  lacking  it  was  a  serious  (|ues- 
tion  with  the  Allies  whether  they  should  set  the  emjjire  on  its 
legs,  or  go  to  Nanking  and  negotiate  with  the  rebel  chief. 

There  was  a  third  solution,  from  wliich,  if  they  thought  of 
it,  they  were  deterred  by  mutual  jealousies  or  imaginary  difh- 
culties.  A  Chinese  legend  rej)resents  two  friends  as  seeing  a 
nugget  of  gold  in  their  path  and  passing  it  by  because  neither 


REMOVAL    TO    PEA'IXG  221 

was  willing  to  profit  by  being  the  first  to  pick  it  up.  Our  two 
ambassadors  were  perhaps  equally  disinterested  ;  but  if  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  same  powers  were  to-day  in  the  same  situa- 
tion, does  any  one  suppose  that  they  would  leave  the  nugget 
undisturbed  ?  Would  they  not  take  it,  if  for  no  other  reason 
thar  'o  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  other  powers? 

^vespite  his  fine  intellect  and  high  culture,  Lord  P^lgin  was 
oingularly  unfitted  for  dealing  with  the  peculiar  problems  that 
were  constantly  cropping  up  in  the  course  of  the  China  war. 
After  the  capture  of  the  viceroy  at  Canton  the  governor  and 
mandarins  were  happy  to  be  permitted  to  exercise  their  func- 
tions under  English  authority ;  and  now  that  the  capital  was 
taken  and  the  throne  virtually  vacant,  would  not  all  the  man- 
darins of  the  empire  have  been  glad  to  do  the  same  ?  Elgin's 
omission  to  open  Tientsin  when  he  first  had  it  in  his  power 
was,  as  I  have  said,  a  glaring  blunder  ;  nor  was  it  a  less  blunder 
to  fail  to  reorganize  the  empire  on  European  principles  when 
he  had  the  capital  in  his  possession. 

In  December,  1857,  in  a  private  letter  written  before  the 
walls  of  Canton,  after  describing  the  industry  of  the  people 
and  the  fertility  of  the  plains,  and  looking  beyond  to  the  hills 
that  leminded  him  of  "  heather  slopes  in  the  Highlands,"  Lord 
Elgin  adds :  "  I  thought  bitterly  of  those  who  for  the  most 
selfish  objects  are  trampling  underfoot  this  ancient  civiliza- 
tion." A  man  of  more  nerve  and  less  sentiment,  once  master 
of  Peking,  might  have  thought  of  replacing  that  "  ancient 
civilization  "  with  something  better. 

Intelligence  of  these  events  reached  me  while  I  was  at  home 
on  furlough,  and  I  returned  to  China  in  1862  with  a  view  to 
opening  a  mission  in  Peking.  Detained  in  Shanghai  l)y  the 
death  of  Dr.  Culbertson,  who  had  the  editorial  supervision  of 
our  mission  press,  I  employed  a  portion  of  my  time  in  translat- 
ing Wheaton's  "  Elements  of  International  Law,"  a  work  that 
was  to  exert  some  influence  on  two  empires  as  well  as  on  the 


222  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

course  of  my  own  life.  The  want  of  such  a  book  had  early 
forced  itself  on  my  attention,  and  I  was  proposing  to  take 
Vattel  for  my  text,  when  Mr.  AVard  recommended  Wheaton 
as  being  more  modern  and  equally  authoritative. 

In  the  following  spring  I  wrote  to  Hon.  Anson  Burlingame, 
our  minister  at  Peking,  proposing  to  complete  the  translation 
for  the  use  of  the  Chinese  government.  He  gave  me  much 
encouragement,  assuring  me  of  his  aid  to  bring  it  before  the 
mandarins,  and  in  June  I  took  passage  for  the  North.  At 
Tientsin  I  was  cordially  received  by  Chunghau,  superinten- 
dent of  trade,  whom  I  had  first  seen  in  1858,  and  with  whom  I 
had  become  better  acquainted  in  the  following  year,  as  chief 
of  escort  during  our  journey  from  the  coast  to  the  capital  and 
back  to  the  sea.  Looking  over  the  manuscript  of  Wheaton,  he 
was  struck  with  its  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  China  in  her  new 
relations,  and  promised  to  write  on  the  subject  to  Wensiang, 
the  leading  minister  in  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  or  pjoard  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  then  newly  organized  under  the  presidency  of  Prince 
Kung. 

Leaving  my  family  at  the  seaport,  I  went  on  to  the  capital, 
where  I  found  Dr.  Williams  in  the  city  and  the  American 
minister  at  the  hills  twelves  miles  to  the  west.  In  the  zenith 
of  manhood,  of  medium  height  and  stout  of  frame,  his  broad 
brow  stamped  with  the  impress  of  intellect,  and  a  ripple  of 
humor  playing  aljout  his  lips,  the  wh(.)le  aspect  of  Mr.  Purlin- 
game  was  winning  and  impressive.  He  and  his  charming  wife 
welcomed  me  as  if  I  had  been  an  old  friend,  and  insisted  that 
I  should  lodge  with  them  instead  of  returning  to  town.  They 
were  at  the  Sanshanan  ("Temple  of  the  'J'hree  Hills  ")  or 'J're- 
moiit  Temple,  as  the  name  was  ha[)})ilv  rendered  to  keej)  alive 
their  memorit-s  of  Postoii,  a  temple  wln'di  foi"  thirty-three  \'ears 
has  coiuinued  to  be  the  Muunicr  home  of  the  AnuTican  legation. 
Sir  Prederick  Pnice,  the  Pritisli  inini.ster,  was  installed  near  by 
at  the  "Temple  of  tlie  Sjiirit  Light,"  whose  attractions  were  a 


REMOVAL    TO  PR  KING  223 

fine  pagoda  and  a  fountain  of  delicious  water  gushing  from  an 
overlianging  cliff.  I  found  Sir  Frederick  under  a  gauze  tent, 
besieged  by  an  army  of  mosquitos.  It  was  under  a  curtain 
supplied  by  him  that  I  passed  my  first  night  at  the  hills. 

In  the  afternoon  Burlingame  proposed  an  excursion  to  a 
rocky  eminence  overlooking  these  temples.  He  and  Bruce  led 
the  way,  while  I  helped  Mrs.  Burlingame  to  climb  the  rugged 
steep.  At  the  top  we  were  joined  by  two  or  three  young  men, 
one  of  them  charge  cTaffaircs  for  Russia.  Burlingame  sud- 
denly mounted  a  stone  and  began  a  .speech,  in  which  he  ex- 
tolled the  deeds  of  all  the  Bruces,  from  Bruce  of  Bannockburn 
to  Elgin,  viceroy  of  India,  and  his  brother,  the  minister  to 
China,  and  concluded  by  dubbing  that  bold  promontory 
"  Mount  Bruce."  We  threw  up  our  hats  with  a  shout,  and,  a 
passing  cloud  contributing  a  few^  drops,  the  christening  was 
complete. 

Bruce  was  not  an  orator,  yet  he  managed  to  stammer  out 
his  acknowledgments,  and,  pointing  to  a  higher  peak  at  the 
head  of  the  valley,  gave  it  the  name  of  Burlingame.  The  two 
peaks  in  foreign  usage  still  retain  the  appellations  of  the  pio- 
neer ministers,  though  the  Chinese  continue  to  call  the  one 
"Tiger's  Head"  and  the  other  "  Green  Mountain."  The  gen- 
eral name  of  the  locality  is  Patachu  ("  the  Eight  Great  Places  "), 
six  famous  temples  besides  the  two  mentioned  being  planted 
at  conspicuotis  points  on  the  sides  of  a  picturesque  gorge.  No 
account  of  life  at  Peking  is  complete  without  some  notice  of 
these  hills,  in  w'hich  the  foreign  community  takes  refuge  from 
the  heat  of  summer. 

Peking  occupies  the  focus  of  a  parabola  formed  by  the  junc- 
tion of  two  systems  of  hills,  one  fringing  the  Mongolian  plateau 
and  sweeping  eastward  to  the  gulf,  the  other  bounding  the  high- 
lands of  the  west  and  extending  south  for  four  hundred  miles 
to  the  banks  of  the  Yellow  River.  Carpeted  with  grass,  but 
destitute  of  trees,  excepting  a  few  groves  planted  in  sacred 


2  24  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

places,  the  hills  rise,  range  on  range,  like  the  waves  of  a  green 
sea,  to  the  height  of  respectable  mountains,  some  of  the  peaks 
measuring  from  four  to  five  thousand  feet. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  capital  the  most  picturesque  valleys 
have  been  selected  for  Buddhist  monasteries  ;  flourishing  while 
the  summer  palace  was  in  its  glory,  these  are  now  falling  to 
decay.  Their  votaries  being  few,  the  priests  are  glad  to  augment 
their  revenues  by  letting  to  foreigners  the  spacious  guest-rooms, 
no  longer  required  for  the  accommodation  of  native  worship- 
ers. The  "  Temple  of  Long  Repose  "  forms  a  vestibule  to  the 
sacred  ground.  On  its  wall  some  poetic  visitor  has  inscribed 
a  few  lines,  which  I  thus  paraphrase : 

"  Oh,  who  can  to  thy  altars  come, 
Thou  House  of  Long  Repose! 
And  not  forget  his  earthly  home, 
With  all  its  cares  and  woes? 

"  Thy  purling  streams  are  crystal  clear, 
Thy  hills  of  emerald  green  ; 
And  from  this  charming  belvedere 
Unfolds  a  fairy  scene. 

"  Here  cloistered  in  this  mountain  vale, 
As  in  another  sphere, 
Of  peace  or  war  they  hear  no  tale, 
Nor  mark  the  passing  year. 

"  When  bells  are  chimed  and  prayers  are  said, 
They  sit  in  silent  thought. 
IIow  few  like  them  a  life  have  led, 
That  fears  and  wishes  naught  I" 

All  these  temples  enjoy  pretty  views,  their  monkish  found- 
ers showing  decided  taste  in  the  selection  of  sites  suitable  for 
SLlf-mortificatioii.  The  prospect  widens  as  you  ascend,  until 
you  reach  the  Pearl  Grotto,  the  highest  of  the  eight,  which 
sheltered  me  and  mine  for  fifteen  summers.     Here  it  expands 


REMOVAL    TO   FEKIXG  225 

so  as  to  take  in  the  vast  plain  with  its  boundaries  of  distant 
hills.  The  great  city  of  Peking,  with  its  glittering  palaces,  is 
the  central  object  of  interest;  while  the  Hunting  Park  on  the 
south,  the  summer  palace  on  the  northwest,  the  Hill  of  Lon- 
gevity— where  the  empress  dowager  lives  in  retirement,  sur- 
rounded by  a  sumptuous  court,  and  visited  every  five  days  by 
the  emperor,  who  performs  the  koto  at  her  feet — and,  finally, 
two  rivers  and  a  lake  complete  a  panorama  unique  in  its  beauty 
and  grandeur.  The  impression  produced  by  this  landscape 
on  the  poet-emperor  Kienlung  is  preserved  in  an  autograph 
poem  graven  on  a  rock  at  the  entrance. 

"  Why  have  I  scaled  these  misty  heights? 
Why  sought  this  mountain  den? 
I  tread  as  on  enchanted  ground, 
Unlike  the  abode  of  men. 

"  Weird  voices  in  the  trees  I  hear, 
Weird  visions  see  in  air ; 
Tlie  whispering  pines  are  living  harps, 
And  fairy  hands  are  there. 

"  Beneath  my  feet  my  realm  I  see, 
As  in  a  map  unrolled ; 
Aliove  my  head  a  canopy 

Bedecked  with  clouds  of  gold." 

This  is  not  bad  to  come  from  a  crowned  head,  for  poetry, 
like  mountain  flora,  deteriorates  at  great  altitudes.  Better  are 
the  thoughts  of  nameless  bards  whose  chance  effusions  I  have 
endeavored  to  gather  up  in  the  following  lines : 

TO    PEARL    GROTTO 

"  On  yonder  rock  a  monarch  great 
Extols  thy  scenery  sublime; 
And  poets  of  a  humbler  state 

Scrawl  here  and  there  tlieir  homely  rhyme. 


2  26  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"  '  I  lift  my  hand,'  says  one,  '  and  graze 

Apollo's  crown  of  golden  light ; 

Downward  I  cast  my  eyes  and  gaze 

On  eagles  in  their  airy  flight.' 

"  '  Yon  boundless  plain,'  a  second  says, 

*  With  countless  peaks  on  either  hand, 
The  vastness  of  the  globe  displays. 

And,  with  the  view,  my  thoughts  expand.' 

"  '  My  panting  steed,'  another  writes, 

'  Has  brought  me  to  this  mountain  shrine; 
And,  while  I  tread  these  dizzy  heights, 
A  thousand  worlds  above  me  shine.' 

"  The  glittering  roofs  of  Cambalu,* 

Encompassed  by  its  massive  \\alls. 
To  me  arrest  the  roving  view  — 
I  stoop  to  count  its  palace  halls. 

"  There,  on  the  bosom  of  the  plain. 

Gleams,  like  a  gem,  an  azure  lake ; 

While  silvery  lines  show  rivers  twain. 

That  devious  courses  seaward  take. 

"  What  wonder  that  in  such  a  spot 
The  view  should  poetry  ins])ire, 
When  passing  clouds  around  this  grot 
Tip  all  these  flinty  rocks  with  firel" 

Chinese  Buddhism  displays  very  httle  originah'ty  in  the  style 
of  its  architecture ;  one  type  runs  through  all  its  gradations, 
varied  only  by  the  necessity  of  the  situation  or  by  limitation 
of  extent.  A  gateway  adorned  with  four  huge  idols  of  fright- 
ful mien  —  supposed  literally  to  scare  away  evil  spirits— opens 
into  a  paved  court,  with  a  long  building  of  one  story  resting 
on  massive  pillars  of  wood  in  front,  and  lower  buildings  extend- 
ing like  wings  on  either  hand.    This  (juadrangle  is  followed  by 

*  The  Tartar  name  for  Peking. 


REMOVAL    TO   PEKIXG  227 

another  exactly  similar,  and  that  again  by  a  third,  the  series 
often  extending  to  six  or  seven.  Of  the  transverse  halls  the 
loftiest  is  set  apart  for  the  "  three  precious  ones,"  the  Buddhist 
trinity,*  and  the  others  for  lesser  lights  in  the  Buddhist  pan- 
theon. The  side  rooms  are  used  for  lodgings  for  the  priest- 
hood and  temple  servants,  additional  courts  outside  of  this 
parallelogram  or  echelon  being  provided  for  guests. 

Nearly  all  the  temples  have  two  flag-masts  in  front  of  the  gate. 
The  more  magnificent  have  a  drum-tower  and  a  bell-tower, 
with  sometimes  a  pagoda ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Peking  apart- 
ments styled  a  "  traveling  palace,"  for  the  use  of  the  emperor, 
which,  however,  his  Majesty  does  not  visit  oftener  than  once 
in  a  century.  The  pagoda  is  not  a  necessary  adjunct,  as  it 
sometimes  beautifies  a  landscape  or  occupies  a  commanding 
view  without  the  presence  of  a  temple,  being  supposed  to  shield 
a  neighborhood  from  malign  influences. 

Theoretically  contemplative,  pious,  and  virtuous,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact  most  of  these  bonzes,  or  monks,  are  lazy,  ignorant, 
and  immoral.  As  such  they  are  unsparingly  satirized  in  Chi- 
nese popular  literature.  Nor  is  their  state  of  decadence  to  be 
wondered  at ;  for  they  are  not  drawn  to  the  cloister  by  a  spirit- 
ual impulse,  but  adopted  as  apprentices  to  a  trade.  This 
consists  in  the  chanting  of  prayers,  partly  or  wholly  in  an  un- 
known tongue,  the  written  Chinese  being  to  most  of  them  no 
less  strange  than  the  Pali.  The  ritual  once  learned  by  rote, 
they  have  little  temptation  to  make  further  progress  in  know- 
ledge. Their  libraries,  some  of  them  very  large,  are  covered 
with  dust  and  seldom  exposed  to  view,  excepting  a  few  sacred 
books  arranged  on  a  horizontal  wheel,  on  which  to  turn  them 
around  like  a  praying-machine  is  deemed  an  act  of  merit. 

*  The  Buddhist  trinity  is  Fo,  Fa,  Siiig  ("  Buddha,  the  hiw,  and  the 
priesthood  ").  It  is  not  a  trinity  of  j^ersons,  yet  it  is  represented  by  three 
images,  commonly  explained  as  the  Buddhas  of  the  "  past,  present,  and 
future." 


228 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


The  "  wheel  of  the  law  "  is  a  metaphor  for  the  doctrines  of 
Buddha. 

The  ranks  of  the  bonzes  are  recruited  chiefly  from  the  poor 
and  destitute,  but  instances  are  not  rare  of  criminals  taking 
refuge  among  them  and  paying  handsomely  for  the  privilege 
of  asylum ;  when,  with  shaven  head  and  changed  name,  their 
detection  becomes  a  matter  of  difficulty.  The  common  esti- 
mate of  these  priests  and  their  votaries  is  expressed  in  a  well- 
known  Chinese  fable :  "  '  My  child,'  said  an  old  mouse, '  don't 


A    lUDliillsl     Al'.liOT. 


go  near  the  cat.'  '  Why,  mama  ?  '  incjuired  the  little  one. 
'  Slie  luis  become  religious:  1  have  seen  her  shutting  her  eyes 
and  saying  her  prayers.'  "  So  gentle  aiid  inoffensive  was  an 
old  priest  at  Pearl  Grotto  that  1  had  come  to  regard  him  as  a 


REMOVAL    TO  PEKING  229 

model  of  virtue,  when,  one  day,  a  cow  broke  into  his  melon- 
patch  and  trampled  all  his  virtues  in  the  dust.  With  every 
stone  he  threw  he  launched  a  volley  of  filthy  epithets  such  as 
made  my  ears  tingle.  If  "  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart 
the  mouth  speaketh,"  how  far  is  he  from  the  holiness  he  simu- 
lates! Another  priest  I  heard  cursing  a  street-lamp.  He  was 
drunk,  which  for  him  is  a  sorry  excuse ;  but  I  was  tempted  to 
suspect  that  he  "  hated  the  light  because  his  deeds  were  evil." 
While  I  have  met  with  some  who  may  be  described  as  intelli- 
gent, devout,  and  orderly,  of  the  great  majority  of  these  priests 
it  is  no  libel  to  say  that  they  are  quite  the  reverse. 

The  philosophy  of  the  Buddhists,  like  that  of  the  Stoics,  has 
for  its  aim  to  protect  the  soul  from  suffering  rather  than  to  arm 
it  for  conflict  with  moral  evil.  Their  method  consists  in  a 
course  of  mental  discipline,  involving  an  elaborate  system  of 
metaphysics  and  a  comparatively  pure  code  of  morals.  De- 
signed not  to  hold  the  passions  in  check,  but  to  extirpate  desire, 
the  spirit  of  their  discipline  is  not  aggressive,  but  repressive. 
Their  ideal  is  light  without  heat,  Buddha  being  the  acme  of 
intelligence.  Their  idea  of  a  perfect  world  would  be,  if  they 
possessed  such  a  cosmical  conception,  a  sun  too  remote  to 
exert  any  controlling  force,  and  with  too  little  warmth  to  raise 
a  breeze  or  to  melt  the  ice  on  its  surface — a  world,  in  short, 
in  which  nothing  noxious  can  flourish,  nor,  it  may  be  added, 
anything  beautiful  or  good. 


CHAPTER  II 


FIRST   YEARS    IN    PEKING 


War  averted — International  law  introduced — A  school  opened — Odd  no- 
tions of  natural  philosophy — Church  and  mission — Queer  converts 

WHILE  looking  for  a  house  in  the  city  I  spent  the  sum- 
mer with  my  family  in  a  temple  three  miles  outside  of 
the  west  gate.  In  one  of  the  courts  were  two  fine  cedars, 
which  attracted  the  eyes  of  officials  engaged  in  repairing  a 
palace.  They  wished  them  for  pillars,  and  were  about  to  cut 
them  down  when  the  priests  begged  me  to  intercede.  In 
pleading  for  the  trees  I  quoted  an  ancient  poem  beginning, 

"Fife  kan  /ang,  Fit  isieti pn  fa," 

which  answers  literally  to  "  Woodman,  spare  that  tree."  The 
officials  were  much  struck  with  this  classic  fragment  in  the 
mouth  of  a  "  barbarian,"  and  promised  to  spare  the  trees ;  yet 
a  few  days  later,  when  I  was  absent,  they  sent  and  felled  them. 
In  the  autumn  I  succeeded  in  securing  eligible  premises, 
with  space  for  school  and  chapel,  near  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  in 
the  southeastern  angle  of  the  Tartar  city.  The  previous  occu- 
j)ant  was  a  mandarin  with  four  wives.  We  got  the  place  cheap 
because  one  of  tliem  liad  hanged  herself  there.  A  mandarin 
of  my  acquaintance  had  six  wives ;  I  never  heard  that  any  of 
them  committed  suicide,  but  they  did  tear  each  other's  hair. 
In  such  cases,  he  said,  he  always  turned  on  them  the  hose  of 

230 


^ 


FIRST    YEARS  IX  PEKING  23 1 

a  force-pump.  The  floors  of  our  house  were  paved  with  tiles, 
wooden  floors  being  a  luxury  unknown  to  northern  Chinese, 
who,  sensibly  enough,  carry  a  small  floor  attached  to  their  feet 
in  the  shape  of  thick  soles  made  of  compressed  cloth.  For 
us,  however,  the  tiles  were  cold  comfort,  and  while  they  were 
being  replaced  by  planks  we  lived  in  one  of  the  wings,  a  pair 
of  which  are  provided  for  every  respectable  dwelling. 

One  morning  in  October  Mr.  Burlingame  came  in  with  grave 
concern  depicted  on  his  usually  bright  and  cheerful  face.  He 
informed  us  that,  a  serious  difference  having  arisen  between  the 
British  minister  and  the  Chinese  government,  the  former  had 
struck  his  flag  and  broken  off  communications,  adding  that  we 
might  be  compelled  to  quit  Peking  at  an  hour's  notice.  We 
had  seen  the  war  renewed  in  1859  by  this  same  minister,  on 
grounds  which,  in  the  eyes  of  many  of  his  own  countrymen, 
were  utterly  inadequate.  We  now  supposed  that  he  was  seek- 
ing an  occasion  for  a  fresh  rupture. 

The  dispute  was  concerning  the  disposition  of  a  fleet  of 
seven  gunboats  purchased  for  the  Chinese  in  England  by  Mr. 
Lay,  inspector-general  of  customs.  Intended  to  operate  against 
the  rebels  on  the  Great  River  and  neighboring  sea-coast,  they 
arrived  too  late  for  that  particular  service,  Gordon's  victories 
having  so  far  broken  the  rebel  power  that  the  reduction  of 
Nanking,  their  first  and  last  stronghold,  was  only  a  question 
of  time.  Had  they  been  required  they  could  hardly  have 
been  used  in  those  waters,  as  Commodore  Osborne  refused  to 
take  orders  from  provincial  authorities,  showing  an  agreement 
that  he  should  be  bound  by  nothing  that  was  not  countersigned 
by  Mr.  Tay. 

That  gentleman's  "presumption,"  as  they  called  it,  in  mak- 
ing himself  master  of  the  new  force  was  greatly  resented  by 
the  Chinese  ministers.  Tlieir  dissatisfaction  was  increased  at 
finding  that  they  were  saddled  with  an  expenditure  of  seventy 
thousand  ounces  of  -iAxtx: pcrniensem,  which  to  them,  in  the  low 


232  A    CYCLE    OF  CAT// AY 

State  of  their  finances,  appeared  an  enormous  tax  for  a  super- 
fluous, if  not  dangerous,  armada.  When  they  addressed  them- 
selves to  the  British  minister,  complaining  of  Mr.  Lay  for 
having  exxeeded  his  powers,  and  expressing  a  determination  to 
dismiss  him  and  the  fleet  together.  Sir  Frederick  Bruce  warmly 
espoused  Lay's  cause.  They  refused  to  recede  and  he  refused 
to  consent.  It  was  the  "  Arrow  "  case  with  variations  and  with 
improved  prospects  for  a  first-class  conflagration.  Happily 
there  was  a  peacemaker  on  the  ground.  The  Chinese  laid 
their  grievance  before  Mr.  Burlingame,  who,  being  a  man  of 
tact  and  ability,  succeeded  in  warding  oflf  the  danger. 

Wensiang  solemnly  assured  him  that  "  sooner  than  submit  to 
having  the  fleet  forced  on  them,  the  Manchu  government  would 
retire  beyond  the  Great  Wall."  He  accordingly  brought  the 
question  in  all  its  gravity  before  Sir  F.  Bruce,  and  after  three 
days  of  discussion  the  latter  abandoned  his  position.  Pacing 
the  floor  near  midnight  in  the  United  States  legation,  he  sud- 
denly exclaimed,  "The  fleet  may  go."  The  crisis  was  passed. 
Details  were  easily  arranged.  The  ships  were  sent  to  India 
and  sold,  and  Mr.  Hart,  who  had  acted  as  lociun  tenens  in  Mr. 
Lay's  absence,  was  installed  in  his  place. 

The  dismissal  of  the  fleet  was  a  backward  step,  since  its  en- 
gagement had  justly  been  regarded  as  a  measure  full  of  hope 
for  the  cause  of  progress,  certain  to  compel  the  opening  of 
mines  and  the  establishment  of  schools  of  science.  At  the 
same  time,  being  manned  and  commanded  by  Englishmen,  it 
would  contribute  to  keep  the  paw  of  the  lion  on  the  gateways 
of  China.  It  is  easy  to  see  why  Bruce  was  reluctant  to  part 
with  it.  Tliat  he  consented  to  do  so,  all  due  allowance  being 
made  for  Burlingame's  powers  of  persuasion,  was  no  doubt 
owing  to  a  dread  of  facing  the  responsibility  of  another  war. 
Instead  of  1)eing,  as  generally  sujiposed,  a  bellicose  meddler, 
he  was  by  nature  indolent  and  peace-loving,  endowed  with 
much  good  sense,  and  not  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  justice. 


FIRST    YEARS  IX  PJiKLXG  233 

The  rejection  of  the  flotilla  is  but  one  of  several  instances 
which  show  the  animus  of  the  Chinese  in  regard  to  all  the  ap- 
pliances of  Western  civilization.  To  their  eyes  it  is  synonymous 
with  steamer,  telegraph,  and  railway.  A  year  or  two  previous 
the  first  wire  in  the  empire  had  been  stretched  from  Shanghai 
to  Woosung  by  an  English  merchant.  It  was  demohshed  by  a 
mob,  with  the  connivance  of  the  authorities,  who  dreaded  any 
extension  of  English  power  or  influence.  A  year  or  two  later 
the  first  railway  was  opened  at  Shanghai  by  an  English  com- 
pany, under  a  concession  for  a  tramway.  Finding  no  other 
way  to  check  the  innovation,  the  Chinese  authorities  purchased 
the  plant  and  promptly  destroyed  it.  Yet  all  these  accompani- 
ments of  civilization  were  subsequently  introduced  under  the 
pressure  of  war,  actual  or  imminent.  In  less  than  a  decade 
China  was  spending  millions  in  the  purchase  of  warships  as  a 
defense  against  the  growing  navy  of  Japan.  Her  first  tele- 
graphs were  built  in  Formosa  to  supply  quick  inteUigence  of 
Japanese  military  movements ;  her  first  considerable  railway, 
that  from  Tientsin  to  the  northeast,  was  undertaken  in  a  sort 
of  panic  occasioned  by  the  Siberian  railway  scheme  of  Russia. 
The  Chinese  accept  no  new  force  which  they  are  unable  to  con- 
trol ;  nor  do  they  adopt  it  at  all  until  they  are  compelled  to 
do  so  by  the  logic  of  events. 

In  November  Mr.  Burlingame  introduced  me  to  the  Tsungli 
Yamen,  with  several  members  of  which  I  had  become  ac- 
quainted during  our  treaty  negotiations  in  1858.  The  Chinese 
ministers  expressed  much  pleasure  when  I  laid  on  the  table 
my  unfinished  version  of  Wheaton,  though  they  knew  but 
little  of  its  nature  or  contents.  "  Does  it  contain  the  '  twenty- 
four  sections '  ?  "  asked  Wensiang,  referring  to  a  selection  of 
important  passages  made  for  them  by  Mr.  Hart.  Being  told 
something  of  the  extent  and  scope  of  the  work,  he  added  : 
"  This  will  be  our  guide  when  we  send  ministers  to  foreign 
countries."     The  translation,  I  explained,  was  not  complete, 


234  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

but  I  intended  to  finish  it  without  delay.  All  I  asked  of 
them  was  to  appoint  a  competent  official  to  assist  me  in  a  final 
revision,  and  then  to  print  it  at  public  expense.  "  You  will, 
of  course,  give  me  a  decoration  for  it.  I  ask  no  other  pay." 
\  They  paid  me  in  due  time  with  substantial  appointments,  much 
better  than  empty  honors,  and  titles  and  decorations  were  not 
forgotten. 

A  commission  of  four — all  of  high  literary  grade,  one  a 
member  of  the  Hanlin  Academy — was  appointed  by  Prince 
Kung  to  aid  me  in  the  revision.  This  was  done  at  the  Yamen, 
and  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Hart,  the  new  inspector-general, 
the  work  was  printed  for  the  use  of  the  government. 

The  enlightened  spirit  which  had  led  Mr.  Hart  to  make  a 
selection  of  passages  I  have  already  referred  to.  As  he  had 
left  Peking  without  seeing  me,  shortly  after  my  arrival,  he 
wrote  me  a  letter  from  Tientsin,  expressing  pleasure  at  learn- 
ing my  intention  to  translate  Wheaton,  encouraging  me  to 
go  on  with  the  task,  and  assuring  me  that  it  would  be  well  re- 
ceived by  the  Tsungli  Yamen. 

Very  different  was  the  impression  which  my  undertaking 
made  on  M.  Klecskowsky,  the  French  cJiar^^^c  cV affaires.  He 
said  to  Mr,  Burlingame :  "  AVho  is  this  man  who  is  going  to 
give  the  Chinese  an  insight  into  our  European  international 
law?  Kill  him — choke  him  off;  he'll  make  us  endless  trou- 
ble." Sir  Frederick  Bruce,  on  the  contrary,  when  I  spoke  to 
him  of  my  purpose,  offered  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  further  it. 
"The  work  would  do  good,"  he  said,  "by  showing  the  Chi- 
nese that  the  nations  of  the  \\'est  have  taoli  ["principles"]  by 
which  they  are  guided,  and  that  force  is  not  their  only  law." 

The  book  v.-as  promj)tly  reprinted  in  Japan,  and  Sir  Harry 
Parkes,  then  minister  at  Yedo,  sent  me  a  copy  of  the  first 
Japanese  edition,  with  an  ex{)ressi()n  of  s\mpathy  in  my  efforts 
to  introduce  the  science.  A  similar  di\-ersity  of  feeling  on  the 
subject  existed  among  the  Chinese,  some  regarding  the  work 


FIRST   YEARS  IX  PEKING  235 

with  suspicion,  as  the  Trojans  did  the  gifts  of  the  Greeks. 
Burhngame  accepted  the  dedication,  and  gloried  in  contribut- 
ing something  toward  the  introduction  of  international  law 
into  China. 

With  the  help  of  my  students,  I  have  since  given  the  Chi- 
nese translations  of  De  Martens'  "  Guide  Diplomatique," 
Woolsey's  "  Elements  of  International  Law,"  Bluntschli's 
"  Volkerrecht,"  and  last,  not  least,  a  manual  of  the  laws  of 
war  compiled  by  the  European  Institute  of  International  Law. 
Most  of  these  have  been  reprinted  in  Japan ;  and  nothing  ad- 
ditional on  the  subject  of  the  law  of  nations  has,  so  far  as  I 
am  aware,  been  rendered  into  the  language  of  either  empire. 

By  some  it  may  be  taken  as  evidence  of  China's  backward- 
ness that  for  this  as  for  other  sciences  she  is  wholly  indebted  to 
importations  from  the  West.  But  is  it  strange  that  an  empire 
which  for  two  thousand  years  had  no  neighbors,  only  vassals, 
should  be  without  the  conception  of  a  code  controlling  the  in- 
tercourse of  e(]ual  nations?  The  fact  is,  that  in  ancient  times, 
when  her  vast  territory  was  covered  by  a  system  of  virtually 
independent  states,  she  did  possess  a  rudimentary  code,  which 
was  made  obsolete  by  their  extinction. 

The  establishment  of  a  school  for  the  education  of  preach- 
ers, physicians,  and  engineers  was  a  leading  object  in  my  re- 
moval to  Peking.  A  plan  for  such  an  institution  I  had  sub- 
mitted to  Dr.  Lowrie,  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Missions,  but 
no  action  was  taken  in  regard  to  it  further  than  the  publica- 
tion of  the  paper  in  the  "  Home  and  Foreign  Record."  Show- 
ing this  paper  to  Mr.  Hart  without  adding  a  word  in  the  way 
of  solicitation,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  by  the  offer  of  1500 
taels  per  annum  from  a  government  fund.  The  first  year  I 
spent  900  taels,  the  next  600,  and  the  third  only  500,  barely 
one  third  of  the  sum  offered,  the  difficulty  of  getting  students 
from  good  families  leading  me  to  limit  the  scale  of  my  opera- 
tions.    The  best  result  of  that  half-aborti\-e  enterprise  was  the 


236  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

preparation  of  a  book  on  natural  philosophy.  In  mathematics 
and  astronomy  the  Jesuits,  for  two  centuries  in  the  service  of 
the  government,  had  done  much,  but  in  this  department  little 
or  nothing,  beyond  imparting  a  few  elementary  notions  of 
mechanics.  How  could  they  do  more?  Every  branch  of  the 
physical  sciences  has  been  born  or  metamorphosed  since  their 
day. 

As  soon  as  my  hands  were  free  from  my  first  text-book  of 
public  law,  I  set  about  the  preparation  of  a  text-book  on 
natural  philosophy.  The  need  of  it  was  imperative.  The  sys- 
tem of  state  education  had  for  ages  been  confined  to  belles- 
lettres,  ethics,  and  politics.  The  highest  scholars  knew  no 
more  why  a  stone  falls  to  the  ground  or  why  water  rises  in  a 
pump  than  did  those  of  Europe  before  Newton  and  Torricelli. 
With  them  levity  is  a  force  as  real  as  gravity  ;  cold  and  dark- 
ness no  less  than  light  and  heat.  They  find  a  ready  expla- 
nation for  all  phenomena  in  the  "play  of  dual  forces";  Yiri 
yang  kiao  kan  is  a  formula  as  good  to  hide  ignorance  as 
many  a  phrase  in  vogue  with  us.  Their  chemistry  has  not 
emerged  from  the  chrysalis  of  alchemy.  They  count  five  ele- 
ments instead  of  our  ancient  four — metal  being  added,  and 
wood  taking  the  place  of  air,  which  is  omitted  as  too  subtile 
to  suit  their  idea  of  substance. 

A  volume  would  be  needed  to  show  how  all  kinds  of  errors 
in  philosophy,  religion,  and  politics  hide  behind  these  "dual 
forces"  and  "five  elements."  Even  such  practical  matters 
as  the  building  of  a  house,  the  ojjcning  of  a  mine,  or  the  con- 
struction of  a  road,  are  controlled  bv  the  rules  of  a  false  sci- 
ence, called  fit/igs/iid,  or  geomancv.  The  j)ower  that  shakes 
these  pillars  will  bring  down  the  whole  edifice  of  superstition. 
It  is  not  a  blind  .Samson  that  can  do  it,  but  science  with  her 
eyes  open.  Hence  the  emj)hasis  I  lav  on  scientific  education 
and  the  time  I  devoted  to  a  text-book  on  natural  philosopliy. 
It  cost  me  two  years  of  work;  and  on  the  application  of  Mr. 


FIRST    YEARS  IX  rEKIXG 


237 


Hart,  to  whom  it  was  dedicated,  it  was  printed  at  government 
expense,  in  seven  thin  volumes,  the  last  giving  elementary 
notions  of  chemistry,  which  till  then  had  wanted  a  name. 
After  the  lapse  of  thirty  years  this  book  is  not  superseded,  a 
revised  edition  having  been  recently  printed.  In  the  same  line 
I  subsequently  prepared  a  work  of  equal  extent  on  the  applica- 
tions of  mathematics  to  physics.  My  "  Natural  Philosophy  " 
has  had  the  honor  of  being  laid  before  the  emperor,  and  a  spe- 
cial edition  has  been  struck  off  /';/  7isnm  Augusti — ten  copies, 
required  for  his  august  eyes,  being  bound  in  yellow  satin.  It 
has  also  been  reprinted  in  Japan,  with  the  addition  of  a  com- 
mentary. 

In  the  oversight  of  my  school,  and  especially  in  the  con- 
duct of  two  chapels,  I  was  efficiently  seconded  by  IMr.  Tsao, 
a  worthy  preacher  (not  ordained),  who  was  converted  while 
teaching   me    Mandarin 


/^^ 


at  Ningpo.  Honest  and 
truthful  beyond  most  of 
his  race,  he  had  a  weak- 
ness for  strong  drink  that 
often  got  him  into  trou- 
ble. He  was  also  given 
to  fits  of  anger,  which 
realized  its  definition  as 
furor  hrevis.  One  Sun- 
day morning,  hearing  a 
great  "row"  in  theschool, 
I  ran  in  and  saw  the  larg- 
est boy  cowering  in  a  cor- 
ner and  crying  bitterlv, 

while  "I'sao,  then  acting  as  teacher,  stood  over  him,  cudgel  in 
hand,  fire  in  his  face,  and  no  doubt  fire-water  in  his  stomach. 
When  he  exjjlained  that  he  had  detected  the  lad  buying  a  bis- 
cuit on  the  street  I  remarked  that  he  might  have  found  a  better 


,II001.M  \STKK:  (IN'R  (TI'IL  RKCITIST,  WITH  HACK 
10   rilH  TAliLE,   AND  I'.NK  Di'ING  I'KNANlE. 


238  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

way  to  show  his  zeal  for  the  Lord's  day ;  that  "  the  Sabbath 
was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  the  Sabbath,"  and  that  such 
an  ebulhtion  of  rage  was  a  worse  offense  than  the  purchase  of 
a  cake  or  the  plucking  of  an  ear  of  barley. 

There  were  several  Protestant  missions  at  work,  but  they 
mosdy  began  by  opening  chapels  on  lanes  and  alleys  rather 
than  on  the  great  streets.  Wensiang,  the  most  influential  man 
in  Peking,  and  frequently  called  prime  minister,  expressed 
some  concern  at  hearing  of  the  crowds  that  frequented  the 
chapels,  lest  a  riot  might  occur.  Inviting  me  to  a  special  in- 
terview, he  charged  me  with  a  message  to  the  other  mission- 
aries, warning  them  to  proceed  cautiously,  to  avoid  provoking 
opposition,  and  to  keep  their  operations  somewhat  in  the  back- 
ground. By  that  means  the  people  would  gradually  get  ac- 
customed to  seeing  foreigners  and  hearing  their  preaching ; 
there  would  then  be  no  danger.  I  faithfully  reported  his  ad- 
vice, which  was  sound  and  well  meant ;  but  it  did  not  hinder 
me  from  securing  a  good  position  for  a  chapel  on  a  great 
street  near  one  of  the  city  gates.  In  the  meantime  a  small 
church  was  organized  by  me  with  a  membership  as  varied  as 
the  occupants  of  the  Cave  of  Adullam.  They  came  seeking 
admission  from  all  motives  but  tlie  right  one.  Most  of  them 
were  miserably  poor,  though  at  the  same  time  highly  respect- 
able, so  far  as  rank  was  concerned.  One  of  the  first,  who 
died  early,  had  been  an  officer  of  some  mark  in  Kashgaria. 
Another,  who  also  died  soon,  claimed  close  kindred  with  a 
defunct  viceroy.  I  had  much  satisfaction  in  seeing  them  die, 
for  I  felt  that  they  were  then  safe  from  backsliding. 

When  the  kinsman  of  the  viceroy  died  I  observed  an  aged 
church-member  weeping  as  the  cofiRn  passed  out  of  the  chapel. 
"  Was  the  deceased  a  friend  or  relative  of  yours?  "  I  inquired. 
"  Neither,"  replied  the  old  man.  "  Why,  then,  do  you  weep?  " 
"  I  weep,"  he  said,  "  to  think  that  when  I  die  I  shall  not  have 
so  fine  a  cofhn."     A  characteristic  absence  of  altruism,  Mr. 


FIRST    YEARS  IX  REKIXG  239 

Smith  *  would  call  this ;  but  we  must  not  make  too  much  of 
an  isolated  instance. 

An  ex-official  was  recommended  for  baptism  by  the  Rev. 
William  Burns,  who,  like  St.  Paul,  felt  called  to  preach,  not 
to  baptize.  "  I  have  always  had  a  liking  for  you  foreigners," 
he  said. 

"Why  so?"  I  asked. 

"  Because  I  have  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  providing  ac- 
commodations for  embassies  from  foreign  states." 

"  Which,  for  instance?  " 

"  Hami ;  I  was  made  to  suiTer  for  my  kindness  to  them." 

Now  Hami  is  a  small  Mohammedan  principality  on  the 
borders  of  Turkestan.  That  was  his  idea  of  "  foreigners." 
The  "  kindness  "  he  had  suffered  for  was  peculation.  One  day 
while  waiting  to  see  me  he  dropped  on  his  knees  and  appeared 
to  be  engaged  in  silent  prayer,  having  taken  pains  not  to  "  shut 
the  door,"  knowing  that  I  was  coming.  On  rising  he  asked  me 
for  a  loan  of  fifty  taels,  and  being  refused  took  revenge  by  try- 
ing to  drive  all  the  sheep  out  of  the  fold.  He  showed  them  the 
old  edicts  against  Christianity,  and  some  of  them  were  greatly 
alarmed. 

One  of  our  most  promising  members  was  a  young  man 
of  good  talents  and  good  education,  whose  father  had  been 
imperial  commissioner  in  Tibet.  The  poor  fellow  died  a 
victim  to  opium.  In  Peking  most  missionaries  have  had  at 
the  outset  a  similar  experience ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  mul- 
titude of  underpaid  officials  and  starving  stipendiaries  who 
sought  admission,  the  churches  have  grown  in  character  as 
well  as  in  membership. 

The  Rev.  William  Burns,  having  no  permanent  station,  spent 
a  few  years  in  Peking.  He  lived  near  our  house,  hiring  a 
cabin  for  forty  cents  per  month,  and  limiting  his  expense  for 

*  Author  of  "  Chinese  Characteristics  "'  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.). 


240  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

food  to  five  cents  per  diem.  He  was  a  constant  attendant  at 
my  chapel,  and  once  a  week  got  a  good  meal  at  our  house. 
Of  more  talent  than  judgment,  he  wasted  his  energies  by  wan- 
dering about — though  it  must  be  admitted  that  he  accomplished 
much  good  in  certain  places,  especially  in  quickening  the  spir- 
itual life  of  the  missionary  body.  Liberal  in  the  way  of  char- 
ity, he  was  personally  as  abstemious  as  an  anchorite,  and  when 
he  died  at  Xiuchuang  the  doctors  ascribed  his  death  to  poor 
living.    He  is  one  of  the  first  saints  in  the  missionary  calendar. 

Most  societies  have  taken  care,  perhaps  on  account  of  the 
difficulty  of  the  language,  to  send  to  China  men  of  respectable 
abilities  and  education ;  yet  those  whom  they  intrusted  with 
the  responsibility  of  founding  missions  in  the  capital  were 
much  above  the  average.  Not  to  speak  of  any  who  arrived 
later  than  1863,  Burdon,  of  the  English  Church  Mission,  and 
Schereschewsky,  of  the  American  Episcopal,  were  subsequently 
raised  to  the  bishopric,  and  both  have  proved  that  they  were 
worthy  of  the  dignity.  Edkins,  of  the  London  Mission,  and 
Blodget,  of  the  American  Board,  were  unmitered  bishops,  the 
former  eminent  as  a  sinologue,  the  latter  noted  as  a  man  in 
whom  nature,  grace,  and  culture  combined  to  form  a  model 
missionary. 

For  heroic  self-denial  the  following  incident  is  worthy  of 
record.  Mrs.  Blodget  had  been  sent  home  from  Shanghai  to 
snatch  her  from  an  early  grave.  For  four  years  her  husband 
stuck  to  his  lonely  post,  quitting  it  for  home  only  when  com- 
pelled by  tlie  diseases  of  the  climate.  At  Yokohama,  hearing 
of  the  capture  of  Peking  and  the  opening  of  Tientsin,  he  turned 
his  back  on  wife  and  children  and  all  the  tempting  visions  of 
home,  sought  in  North  China  the  change  required  by  his  health, 
and  founded  a  mission  at  the  seaport  and  one  at  the  capital ; 
nor  did  lie  resume  his  intended  voyage  until  five  years  later, 
when  healtli  again  made  it  imi)erative. 

In  1 868,  being  called  to  a  ])rofessorship  of  international  law 


FIRST    YEARS  IX  PEKING 


241 


in  the  new  government  coilege,  I  committed  the  interests  of 
the  mission  to  otlier  hands,  and  went  home  for  special  studies 
prior  to  entering  on  the  duties  of  my  chair.  My  return  to 
China  was  hastened  by  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hart  informing  me 
that  the  Chinese  authorities  were  dissatisfied  with  the  working 
of  the  college ;  in  fact,  that  it  was  likely  to  be  disbanded.  I 
wrote  in  reply  that  I  was  not  discouraged  by  the  prospect — 
that  even  if  extinct  it  might  be  resuscitated,  or  "  if  reduced  to 
a  vanishing-point  it  might  be  integrated  to  its  full  value." 


THE    rEKIN(;   WATERWORKS. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  GREAT  WALL  AND  SACRED  PLACES  OF  PEKING 

Altar  of  heaven  —  Lama  temple — Bridge  in  palace  grounds — Mosque  and 
pavilion — The  Yellow  Temple — Great  Bell  of  Peking — Tombs  of 
Ming  emperors  — Hot  Springs  —  Grand  Pass  and  Great  Wall — Sketch 
of  history — The  empress  dowager 

A  RESIDENT  has  no  need  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  see  the 
sights  of  his  own  locaHty  unless,  as  in  Peking,  there  is 
danger  of  the  show  being  shut  up.  Objects  of  rare  interest 
that  were  formerly  open  to  all  the  world  are  accessible  no 
longer.  Imperial  temples  and  imperial  pleasure-grounds  are 
withdrawn  from  the  public  eye,  leaving  scarcely  anything  to 
make  the  place  worth  the  trouble  of  a  visit.  Not  that  the  gov- 
ernment has  grown  less  liberal,  but  because  in  tlie  early  years, 
after  the  debacle  of  i860,  there  was  a  minority  reign,  under  which 
nobody  thouglit  it  necessary  to  restore  the  ancient  restrictions. 
The  attainment  of  his  majority,  when  the  emperor  was  ex- 
pected to  visit  all  these  places,  was  the  signal  for  shutting  out 
the  rest  of  mankind.  No  longer  can  a  student  of  comparative 
religion,  who  has  visited  the  sacred  places  of  other  creeds,  be 
admitted  to  the  Temple  of  Heaven,  the  scene  of  the  most 
ancient  ritual  now  observed  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  sun 
in  his  course  looks  on  nothing  built  witli  hands  so  sublime  in 
its  suggestions  as  the  Ara  Cadi  of  IV'king.  Acres  of  ])olishe(l 
marble,  rising  from  all  sides  by  flights  of  steps,  culminate  in  a 
circular  terrace,  whose  roof  is  the  vault  of  heaven.  The  divin- 
ity there  worshiped  is  the  Ruler  of  the  universe,  and  the  priest 

242 


GREAT   WALL  AXD   SACRED   PLACES 


243 


who  officiates  is  the  sovereign  of  the  empire.  Like  Melchize- 
dek  of  old,  he  is  priest  of  the  most  high  God,  with  whom  he 
intercedes  on  behalf  of  his  people,  and  to  whom  he  offers  an  ox 
as  a  burnt-offering  in  acknowledgment  of  delegated  authority. 
The  cults  of  Buddha  and  Tao  are  of  yesterday  in  comparison 
with  this  venerable  relic  of  a  purer  faith,  which  in  China  has 
behind  it  a  record  of  forty  centuries. 

Dr.  Legge,  the  eminent  missionary,  before  climbing  the  steps 
of  this  altar  heard  a  small,  still  voice,  which  others  might  have 
heard  had  they  but  hearkened,  saying  :  "  Put  off  thy  shoes  ;  for 
the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground."  The  students 
in  the  British  legation,  less  reverent,  were  for  years  wont  to 
play  cricket  in  its  shady  groves,  which  are  so  extensive  as  to 
interpose  a  belt  of  silence  between  the  altar  and  the  busy  city. 


fe;-J^' 


THE    EMPEROR    AT    THE    I'LOW. 


Equally  invisible  is  the  Temple  of  Agriculture,  where  the 
emperor  honors  the  memory  of  the  man  who  broke  the  spell 
of  barbarism  by  teaching  mankind  to  get  their  living  from  the 
soil,  and  where  he  does  homage  to  husbandry  by  appearing  in 
the  character  of  a  plowman. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  city,  in  accordance  with  Chinese 


244  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

notions  of  symmetry,  stands  an  altar  to  Mother  Earth ;  it  is 
square  because  the  earth  has  four  corners. 

Less  to  be  regretted  is  exclusion  from  the  Grand  Lamasery, 
where  of  yore  our  student  of  comparative  religion  might  freely 
apply  his  tape-line  to  the  great  Buddha  to  ascertain  its  place 
in  the  scale  of  divine  magnitudes ;  where  he  might  sometimes 
catch  a  glimpse  of  a  living  Buddha,  and  hear  litanies  chanted 
in  the  Tibetan  tongue.  Here  twelve  hundred  lazy  monks, 
filthy  and  vicious,  are  housed  in  the  palace  of  a  prince,  who, 
on  coming  to  the  throne,  gave  them  his  dwelHng  and  ordered 
them  to  be  fed  at  his  expense.  So  greedy  are  these  recluses, 
whose  first  law  is  self-abnegation,  and  so  indelicate  is  their 
mode  of  picking  pockets,  that  a  visitor  always  departed  with 
the  conviction  that  instead  of  visiting  a  house  of  prayer  he  had 
fallen  into  a  den  of  thieves. 

More  to  be  lamented  than  any  of  these,  except  the  first,  are 
the  Marble  Bridge  in  the  grounds  of  the  city  palace  and  the  Hill 
of  Longevity  at  the  country  palace.  From  the  former  the  tour- 
ist could  take  in  at  a  glance  a  scene  of  marvelous  beauty — two 
"  seas,"  whose  shores  are  fringed  with  the  airiest  forms  of  Ori- . 
ental  architecture.  From  the  latter  he  looked  down  on  a  charm- 
ing lake  and  around  on  ruins  of  sumptuous  edifices  wrecked  by 
Anglo-Gallic  vengeance.  In  each  of  these  picturesque  spots 
the  Dowager  Fmpress  Tzehi  has  built  a  palace  for  herself. 
To  gratify  her  desire  for  privacy  a  central  thoroughfare  was 
closed,  the  people  of  the  one  side  being  obliged  to  make  half 
the  circuit  of  the  city  to  reach  the  other.  For  her  alone  the 
lotus  is  to  bloom ;  and  for  her,  pagoda  and  pavilion  mirror 
themselves  in  the  placid  waters.  What  matters  it  to  her  if  the 
finest  views  are  wiped  from  the  map  of  the  capital?  What 
does  she  care  if  the  disappointed  tourist  does  go  away  lameiit- 
ing  tliat  he  was  born  too  late  —  or  perhaps  too  early,  say  a 
trifle  in  advance  of  the  adoption  of  regulations  like  those  that 
oi)en  to  the  public  the  abbeys  and  palaces  of  England? 


GREAT   WALL  AND  SACRED  PLACES  245 

Even  the  city  wall  suffers  from  an  intermittent  prohibition. 
I  once  heard  a  Chinese  minister  discourse  to  Mr.  Burlingamc 
of  the  change  that  had  come  over  foreign  life  in  China. 
"  Formerly,"  said  he,  "  you  foreigners  were  oppressed,  but  now 
you  enjoy  more  privileges  than  the  natives.  For  instance,  no 
woman  is  allowed  to  walk  on  the  city  wall,  but  we  know  that 
where  you  go  your  wives  must.  Your  ladies  make  it  a  prom- 
enade, and  we  say  nothing  about  it." 

While  Hengki  lived  there  was  no  question  of  access  to  the 
wall ;  but  when  the  office  of  vice-governor  fell  to  another,  an 
order  was  posted  at  all  the  guard-houses,  saying :  "  Foreigners 
have  been  seen  walking  on  the  wall  and  studying  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  city,  a  practice  not  on  any  account  to  be  per- 
mitted." To  me  this  was  not  pleasant  reading,  but  to  most  for- 
eigners it  meant  nothing ;  and  to  the  guards  it  only  meant  that 
they  might  demand  a  larger  douceur  for  opening  the  stairways. 

Near  the  southwestern  angle  of  the  palace  grounds  stands 
a  celebrated  mosque,  now  falling  to  decay,  and  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  street,  overtopping  the  palace  walls,  is  seen 
the  yellow  roof  of  a  pavilion,  which  must  have  been  magnifi- 
cent in  its  better  days.  These  are  connected  with  each  other 
by  a  popular  legend,  which  I  here  insert  in  a  versified  form. 
The  name  of  the  pavilion,  Wajig-kia-lo  (the  "  Homeward 
View  "),  and  a  colony  of  the  faithful  who  still  speak  Turkish, 
the  descendants  of  retainers  who  came  with  the  Mohammedan 
princess,  mav  be  taken  as  vouchers  for  its  substantial  truth.  It 
dates  from  the  reign  of  Kienlung,  a.d.  1736. 

"  From  wars  in  the  West  the  monarch  returning, 
His  new-gotten  treasures  in  triumpli  displayed; 
The  fairest  and  briglitest  —  'twas  easy  discerning, 
Admired  by  all — was  Almanna  the  Maid. 

"  Her  eyes  the  soft  luster  of  daybreak  disclose  ; 

Her  blush— it  surpasses  the  peach-blossom's  glow; 


246  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

Iler  motions  are  grace,  and  grace  her  repose; 
Iler  color  eclipses  the  lily  of  snow. 

"  Let  dames  die  of  envy,  let  monarch  adore, 

Yet  in  secret  distress  fair  Almanna  repines — 
The  canker  consuming  the  sweet  flower's  core 
The  sharp-sighted  monarch  full  quickly  divines. 

"  The  glitter  of  images  palls  on  her  sight. 
The  din  of  idolatry  deafens  her  ears  ; 
No  face  of  a  kinsman  to  give  her  delight. 
No  altar  of  Allah  to  quiet  her  fears. 

"  A  lofty  pavilion  of  splendor  divine, 

<)'erlooking  a  mosque  of  the  faithful,  he  makes; 
^Vith  garden  and  terrace  of  Persian  design, 

With  fountains  and  streams  and  cool  shady  lakes. 

"  '  Here,  lovely  Almanna,  t^le  pride  of  my  eyes, 

Here  welcome  thy  kin,  not  again  to  depart ; 

lie  no  more  a  stranger,  here  banish  thy  sighs  ; 

l'"or  the  shrine  of  thy  God  is  the  home  of  thy  heart.' 

"  Almanna  looks  up  with  a  joy-beaming  face; 

From  that  day  and  onward  no  creature  so  blest  — 
Restored  to  her  God  and  restored  to  her  race — 
As  the  lady  Almanna,  the  Maid  of  the  West." 

The  Temple  of  Confucius  we  shall  not  pause  to  inspect,  as 
we  intend  to  make  a  special  pilgrimage  to  the  more  famous 
shrine  at  the  Sage's  sejjulcher.  The  Peking  temple  possesses, 
however,  a  noteworthy  adjunct  in  an  ancient  "  School  for  the 
Sons  of  the  Empire,"  which  we  may  see  in  passing.  In  this 
institution  no  teaching  is  done ;  its  functions  consist  in  the  en- 
rolment of  candidates  for  the  civil-service  examination,  and 
the  registration  of  graduates.  Its  courts  are  studded  with 
stone  pillars,  which,  overshadowed  by  venerable  cedars,  i)re- 
scnt  the  apj)earance  of  a  gravevard.  They  are  inscribed  with 
the  names  of  tlujse  who  have  won  the  third  or  highest  degree, 
and  the  list  runs  back  for  six  centuries.      In  an  adjacent  court 


GREAT  WALL   AND  SACKED  PLACES  247 

Stands  the  "  Hall  of  the  Stone  Classics,"  so  called  because 
in  its  spacious  porticos  are  to  be  seen  a  hundred  and  seventy 
marble  columns  inscribed  with  the  text  of  the  Thirteen  Ca- 
nonical Books — apparently  as  a  precaution  against  the  fury  of 
another  book-burner.  To  this  hall  the  emperor  is  expected 
to  come  at  least  once  in  his  reign,  to  hear  a  lecture  on  the 
duties  of  his  station.     (See  illustration  facing  p.  447.) 

Happily  the  Great  Wall  is  not  forbidden,  though  it  might 
be  on  good  grounds ;  and  visitors  continue  to  carry  away,  not 
snail-shells,  such  as  Dr.  Johnson  said  he  had  seen,  but  speci- 
men bricks  weighing  a  hundred  pounds.  When  we  visited  the 
wall,  we  stowed  our  bedding  in  a  cart  and  took  donkeys  from 
the  city  gate,  that  animal  so  despised  within  the  walls  being 
indispensable  on  country  roads.  The  pass  at  Nankow,  thirty 
miles  to  the  northwest,  we  might  have  reached  in  one  day  had 
we  not  deviated  from  the  highway  to  visit  sundry  objects  of 
interest,  such  as  the  Yellow  Temple,  the  Great  Bell,  the  Hot 
Springs,  and  the  Ming  tombs. 

The  Yellow  Temple,  not  far  beyond  the  city  moat,  is  a 
lamasery,  vast  in  extent,  but,  unlike  the  greater  one  already 
mentioned,  it  offers  nothing  of  interest  except  a  marble  tope 
to  commemorate  the  death  of  a  living  Buddha.  This  holy 
man,  next  in  dignity  to  the  Dalai  lama,  came  from  Tibet  by 
invitation  of  the  Emperor  Kienlung,  and  died  of  smallpox. 
The  base  of  the  monument  is  belted  with  tableaux  in  low  re- 
lief, representing  the  birth,  death,  and  spiritual  struggles  of 
the  saint.  To  the  IMongols  it  is  an  object  of  great  venera- 
tion, and  they  always  perform  a  koto  before  it,  hanging 
handkerchiefs  on  it  in  sign  of  special  prayer  or  vow,  although 
it  covers  only  the  fallen  mantle  of  his  saintship,  his  body  hav- 
ing been  carried  back  to  Tibet. 

The  religion  of  the  lamas  is  Buddhism  of  a  corrupt  type, 
and  prevails  in  Tibet  and  Mongolia.  Its  leading  tenet  is  the 
reincarnation  of  Buddhist  divinities  in  the  person  of  those  who 


248 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


are  destined  to  exercise  spiritual  or  civil  power — a  doctrine 
unknown  to  the  orthodox.  As  its  prayers  are  made  by  machi- 
nery, turned  by  wind  or  water  as  well  as  by  hand,  you  would 
hardly  expect  it  to  exert  an  influence  for  good  ;  yet  it  seems  to 
have  made  the  Mongols  less  savage  than  the  bloodthirsty  fol- 
lowers of  Genghis  Khan,  though  it  has  not  made  them  chaste, 
clean,  or  honest. 


LAMA    I'KIICST,    I'iiAVKR    WIll'.KI,,   AND    IDOLS. 


The  Cireat  IJell,  four  or  five  miles  farther  on,  is  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  woj-ld.  Cast  about  five  centuries  ago  by  order 
of  Yunglo,  the  first  C'liinesc  emperor  wlio  fixed  his  throne  in 
Peking,  it  weiglis  fifty-tliree  and  a  lialf  tons,  and  is  covered 
within  and  without  with   extracts  from   the  Buddhist  canon. 


GREAT   WALL  AND   SACRED  PLACES  249 

Why  it  was  made  here,  and  why  it  has  remained  in  retirement, 
it  might  require  a  knowledge  of  astrology  to  unriddle.  There 
is,  however,  a  greater  bell  between  heaven  and  earth,  that  of 
Moscow,  weighing  eighty  tons — a  fact  that  may  please  the  pride 
of  some  Christians.  Connected  with  this  Chinese  monster  is 
a  touching  legend,  which  I  thus  render : 

"  As  a  bee  builds  up  her  waxen  cell, 
Was  built  the  mould  for  the  giant  bell; 
Carved  and  pressed  and  polished  well 
By  the  master's  cunning  hand. 

"  Twice  has  he  lost  the  toil  of  years  ; 
And  now  he  waits  with  anxious  fears 
The  junction  of  propitious  spheres 
To  speak  his  last  command. 

"  A  lovely  maid  sits  by  his  side — 
Her  mother's  joy,  her  father's  pride; 
One  whom  he  hopes  to  see  the  bride 
Of  a  noble's  eldest  son. 

"  As  on  the  crane  the  caldron  swings, 
Into  its  jaws  the  maiden  springs, 
While  back  her  little  shoe  she  flings  — 
And  the  arduous  work  is  done. 

"  To  save  her  father  from  failure's  shame, 
To  win  for  her  father  a  deathless  name. 
She  drowns  herself  in  that  sea  of  flame; 
But  the  b.ll  her  stud  retains. 

"  For  now  with  the  great  bell's  dulcet  tone 
There  mingles  low  a  plaintive  moan^ 
She  calls  for  the  slijiper  l)ackward  thrown, 
]Vo  /lie* — her  voice  remains." 

In  a  vast  amphitheater  formed  by  converging  hills,  which 
are  supposed  to  bring  all  good  influences  to  a  focus,  repose  the 
ashes  of  thirteen  emperors  of  the  last  Chinese  dynasty.t    The 
*  My  shoe.  t  See  p.  292. 


250  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

first  was  Yunglo,  who  rebuilt  and  beautified  the  city ;  the  last, 
Chungchen,  who  hanged  himself  when  his  capital  fell  into  the 
hands  of  a  rebel.  It  was  to  Li  Chuang  that  the  dynasty  suc- 
cumbed, not  to  the  Manchus,  who,  called  in  to  avenge  it, 
seated  themselves  on  the  vacant  throne.  Hence  the  respect- 
ful care  taken  of  this  noble  cemetery,  an  official,  said  to  be  a 
scion  of  the  ancient  monarchs,  being  charged  with  the  duty  of 
ministering  to  their  manes.  Hence,  also,  the  portal  of  their 
resting-place — all  that  now  remains  to  them  of  their  vast  do- 
minions— is  adorned  by  a  dirge  from  the  pen  of  the  Emperor 
Kienlung. 

The  mausolea  are  approached  through  ranks  of  colossal 
statues  representing  men  and  animals.  That  of  Yunglo,  who 
first  removed  the  capital  to  the  North,  is  far  grander  than  the 
others — imposing  alike  by  its  proportions  and  severity  of  style. 
To  have  built  it  of  stones  quarried  from  the  neighboring 
hills  would  have  been  comparatively  inexpensive ;  but  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  import  teak-wood  from  Siam,  as  Solomon 
imported  cedar  from  Lebanon.  Five  hundred  years  has  tin's 
wooden  structure  stood  the  storms,  and  it  looks  as  if  it  might 
brave  them  for  a  thousand  more. 

Tangshan,  the  hot  spring,  gives  name  and  place  to  an  impe- 
rial pleasance.  Its  buildings  show  no  trace  of  Goth  or  Van- 
dal, but  through  sheer  neglect  they  are  falling  into  irretriev- 
able decay.  The  spring  is  a  rift  in  the  strata,  through  which 
rises  a  flood  of  almost  boiling  water,  sufficient  to  supply  half 
Peking  if  properly  husbanded.  Through  want  of  enterprise  it 
is  wasted  on  the  lakes  and  canals  of  a  forsaken  park. 

Spending  a  night  at  Nankow,  we  gave  a  day  to  exploring 
the  pass.  At  three  points  the  hand  of  man  has  reinforced 
tlie  fortifications  erected  by  nature,  viz.,  at  the  two  entrances, 
thirteen  miles  apart,  and  in  the  middle,  where,  in  addition  to 
gateway  and  walls,  you  see  a  famous  inscription  in  six  lan- 
guages, some  of  which  are  as  dead  as  the  Hittite. 


c 


GREAT   WALL   AND  SACRED  I'LACES  251 

At  the  farther  entrance  only  do  we  get  a  view  of  the  Great 
Wall,  properly  so  called,  and  then  it  is  but  an  angle  or  loop  of 
that  which  for  1550  miles  skirts  the  Mongolian  plateau  and 
forms  the  boundary  of  China  proper.  Imposing  in  the  bold- 
ness with  which  it  climbs  the  chffs,  it  grows  sublime  when 
you  think  of  it  as  stretching  from  the  sea  of  sand  to  the  sea 
of  salt.  In  some  parts,  however,  it  dwindles  into  a  mere  em- 
bankment of  clay. 

The  pass,  formed  by  a  fracture  in  the  mountain  chain  and 
widened  by  the  erosive  action  of  a  small  river,  resembles  some 
of  those  canons  seen  on  our  ^Vestern  railways,  its  grassy  slopes 
winding  with  the  stream  and  sprinkled  with  the  snow  of  graz- 
ing flocks. 

As  we  were  sauntering  along,  our  eyes  fixed  on  this  scene 
of  quiet  beauty,  a  well-meaning  native  stopped  to  exchange 
greetings,  adding,  as  he  rode  away,  "  There  is  nothing  to  be 
seen  here,  but  go  on  a  little  farther  and  you  may  see  an  open- 
air  theater  and  hear  the  song  of  a  story-teller." 

To  study  the  history  of  Egypt  one  should  place  himself  on 
the  top  of  the  pyramids.  To  study  the  history  of  China  there 
is  no  point  of  observation  so  favorable  as  the  summit  of  the 
Great  Wall.  Erected  midway  between  the  hazy  obscurity  of 
early  tradition  and  the  restless  age  in  which  we  live,  it  com- 
mands the  whole  of  the  moving  panorama.  So  colossal  as  to 
form  a  geographical  feature  on  the  surface  of  the  globe,  its 
importance  to  us  consists  in  its  epoch  rather  than  in  its  magni- 
tude. It  is  to  this  epoch  that  our  attention  will  for  a  little  be 
chiefly  directed ;  but  from  this  vantage-ground  we  shall  allow 
ourselves  a  few  glances  before  and  after,  with  the  hope  of  con- 
veying some  faint  impression  of  the  unity  of  Chinese  history. 

Not  long  after  the  age  when  Alexander  swept  the  chess- 
board of  western  Asia  and  combined  its  numerous  national- 
ities into  one  empire,  Chin-shi,  the  builder  of  the  wall,  did  a 
like  work  for  the  states  of  eastern  Asia.     These  states  consti- 


252  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

tuted  the  Chinese  empire,  a  country  which  at  that  early  period 
united  the  wealth  of  Persia  with  the  culture  of  Greece.  Nomi- 
nally under  the  sway  of  one  imperial  house,  they  had  been  for 
some  hundreds  of  years  virtually  independent,  adjusting  their 
mutual  relations  and  waging  internecine  wars  without  interfer- 
ence from  their  powerless  suzerain.  The  builder  of  the  Great 
Wall  was  preceded  by  three  dynasties  of  long  duration,  viz., 
that  of  Hia,  2205—1766  B.C.;  that  of  Shang,  1 766-1 122  B.C.; 
that  of  Chow,  1122-255  ^-C- 

Looking  beyond  the  first  of  these,  we  perceive  the  golden 
glow  of  the  morning  of  history.  In  the  midst  of  its  deceptive 
haze  we  discern  two  figures  which  the  Chinese  have  agreed  to 
accept  as  models  of  princely  excellence.  They  are  Yao  and 
Shun,  the  Xuma  Pompilius  and  Tullus  Hostilius  of  the  rising 
state.  The  simplicity  of  that  primitive  society  is  the  mother 
of  virtues,  public  and  private.  In  the  state  Yao  sets  the  ex- 
ample of  an  unselfish  ruler,  and  in  the  family  Shun  is  a  para- 
gon of  filial  sons. 

Holding  that  a  prince  exists  for  the  good  of  his  peo])le,  and 
sensible  to  the  infirmities  of  age,  Yao  adopted  Shun  as  his  suc- 
cessor, his  own  son  being  unworthy  of  the  throne.  Shun 
adopted  Yu  for  the  same  reason.  Yu  (or  Ta  Yu),  though 
deemed  a  sage,  did  not  continue  the  unselfish  tradition,  but, 
by  transmitting  the  throne  to  his  son,  "  made  of  the  common- 
wealth a  family  estate,"  as  the  chroniclers  say.  The  imperial 
dignity  has  remained  hereditary,  witli  a  solitary  vestige  of  the 
ancient  ideal,  viz.,  that  the  emperor  has  theoretically  the  j)ower 
of  nann'ng  ]n"s  successor,  and  in  fact  makes  the  election  irre- 
spective of  primogeniture. 

In  the  reign  of  Chung-kang,  the  fourth  in  succession  (2159- 
2146),  occurred  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  wliich  Professor  Russell, 
of  the  Imperial  College,  has  succeeded  in  identifying  after  a 
laborious  calculaticjn  of  no  fewer  than  tln'rty-six  eclij)ses.  Pro- 
fessor Knobel,  of  Cambridge,  has  also  ])ronounced  in  favor  of 


SKETCH  OF  CHINESE  HISTORY  253 

the  trustwortliiness  of  these  ancient  records,  on  the  ground  of 
astronomical  data  contained  in  a  kind  of  calendar  of  the  Hia 
dynasty,  fragments  of  which  have  come  down  to  our  times. 

The  area  at  that  period  comprehended  within  the  empire 
was  less  than  half  of  China  proper,  not  a  foot  of  territory  on 
the  south  of  the  Yang-tse  having  been  brought  under  its  sway. 
'I'he  conc^uering  tribe  which  formed  its  nucleus  seem  to  have 
entered  the  valley  of  the  Yellow  River  from  the  northwest,  bring- 
ing with  them  some  knowledge  of  letters,  and  the  elements  of  a 
civilization  which  enabled  them  to  overcome  the  savage  races 
by  whom  the  country  was  then  occujiied.  Some  they  destroyed, 
others  they  absorbed  ;  and  the  process  of  growth  and  assimila- 
tion went  on  for  ages,  until  those  heterogeneous  elements  were 
moulded  into  one  people,  the  most  numerous  on  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

This  work  of  subjugation  may  be  regarded  as  specially  the 
task  of  the  first  dynasty,  though  it  was  not  completed  for  ages, 
nor  is  it  wholly  complete  at  the  present  day.  Under  the  sec- 
ond dynasty  arose  that  feudal  form  of  government  which  pre- 
vailed for  more  than  a  thousand  years  and  came  to  an  end  in 
the  epoch  of  the  Great  Wall.  Of  both,  the  records  are  exceed- 
ingly meager — scarcely  extending  beyond  dynastic  genealogy 
— the  occupants  of  the  throne,  with  a  few  brilliant  exceptions, 
being  so  insignificant  that  their  places  in  the  succession  are 
represented  by  numerals  instead  of  names. 

While  the  invention  of  letters  dates  from  a  period  anterior 
to  the  first  dynasty,  it  was  not  until  the  third  that  literature  be- 
came an  important  factor  in  human  life.  King  AN'en  and  Duke 
Chow,  its  founders,  set  an  example  of  devotion  to  study,  and 
later  on  cultured  statesmen  appeared,  who  strove  to  aggrandize 
their  native  states,  and  philosophers,  who,  with  broader  views, 
aimed  at  the  reformation  of  the  people.  Of  the  latter  class  the 
most  noted  were  Confucius  (551-479  b.c.)  and  Mencius  (372- 
289  B.C.),  both  of  whom  merit  high  rank  among  the  teachers 


2  54  -^    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

of  mankind.  Besides  inculcating  virtues  of  a  noble  type  they 
sought  by  their  doctrines  to  counteract  the  centrifugal  tendency, 
which  was  a  marked  feature  in  the  political  movement  of  their 
day.  They  had  never  known  anything  better  than  the  feudal 
system,  and  in  their  view  the  only  cure  for  the  disorders  of  the 
times  was  to  restore  it  to  its  primitive  purity — a  state  of  things 
in  which  the  vassal  princes,  to  use  the  expression  of  Confucius, 
"  revolved  about  the  throne  of  Chow  as  the  constellations  re- 
volve around  the  pole  of  heaven."  That  system  the  builder 
of  the  wall  was  bent  on  eradicating ;  hence  his  hostility  to  the 
Confucian  school. 

Forsaken  by  its  vassals  or  recognized  under  forms  of  mere 
empty  ceremony,  the  house  of  Chow  languished  until  255  B.C. 
Occupying  a  district  in  Honan,  which  formed  the  special  ap- 
panage of  the  imperial  family,  but  for  a  long  time  exercising 
no  control  over  its  neighbors,  and  centrally  situated,  that  dis- 
trict was  described  as  Chung  Kwo,  the  "Middle  Kingdom," 
a  designation  which  succeeding  dynasties  applied  to  the  whole 
of  their  dominions.  In  this  year  (255  B.C.),  provoked  by  the 
cabals  which  found  a  focus  under  the  shadow  of  a  venerable 
throne,  Chao,  the  King  of  Chin,  great-grandfather  of  the  wall- 
builder,  entered  the  imperial  capital ;  and  the  dynasty  of  Chow, 
the  most  famous  in  the  annals  of  China,  came  to  an  end,  after 
a  duration  of  eight  hundred  and  sixty-seven  years. 

The  conqueror  now  performed  two  acts  which  asserted  his 
accession  to  the  vacant  suzerainty.  The  first  was  to  remove 
to  his  own  capital  in  Shensi  nine  tripods  of  brass,  which  repre- 
sented the  nine  districts  of  the  emi)ire,  and  were  reverenced  as 
the  chief  emblem  of  imperial  power.  The  other  was  to  offer 
a  solemn  sacrifice  to  S/iangti,  the  "Supreme  Ruler,"  and  to 
formally  assume  the  cliaracter  of  high  priest  in  conjunction 
with  that  of  emperor — a  twofold  character  which  has  always 
l)een  recognized  as  l)elonniiig  fo  llie  sovereigns  of  China.  This 
king's  ambition  was  to  resuscitate  the  empire,  not  to  revolu- 


SKETCH  OF   CHINESE  HISTORY  255 


ticiiiize  its  institutions.  The  vassals  of  Chow  were  his  vassals, 
and  submission,  not  abdication,  was  what  he  required.  Enjo}'- 
ing  for  five  years  a  dignity  to  which  his  ancestors  had  aspired 
for  many  generations,  he  closed  a  prosperous  reign  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  After  two  brief  reigns,  one  of  which  had  lasted 
only  three  days,  his  scepter  was  transferred  to  Cheng,  his 
great-grandson,  whom  by  anticijiation  we  have  styled  Chin-shi, 
the  builder  of  the  Great  Wall. 

The  young  king,  then  thirteen  years  of  age,  succeeded  at 
once  to  two  thrones — that  of  Chin,  the  domain  of  his  fathers, 
and  that  of  Chow,  or  the  empire,  which  placed  him  on  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  dignity  that  any  Chinese  statesman  had 
ever  conceived.  Was  he  satisfied  with  this  double  heritage? 
If  he  had  been,  is  it  not  probable  that  the  wheels  of  the  new 
chariot  would  have  been  made  to  run  in  the  old  track?  But 
to  credit  him  witli  planning  the  tremendous  revolution  which 
he  w'as  destined  to  achieve  would  be  to  allow  him  a  precocity 
and  a  genius  unexampled  in  history.  The  king  was  fortunate  in 
having  for  his  guides  two  statesmen  of  rare  originality  ;  but  even 
they  could  not  have  conceived  the  entire  program.  They 
possessed  the  capacity  to  win  in  every  conflict  with  his  unruly 
vassals,  and  he  (or  his  mother  and  grandmother,  two  remark- 
able w^omen  who  acted  as  regents)  always  encouraged  the  bold 
measures  of  his  chancellors.  In  all  great  revolutions  the  lead- 
ing minds  are  more  than  one,  though  some  one  usually  comes 
to  be  acknowledged  as  the  master  spirit.  In  this  the  master 
spirit  was  Chin-shi,  who  proved  his  claim  to  the  title  by  an 
eventful  reign  of  forty  years  ;  but  his  two  chancellors  bore  each 
a  leading  part  in  recasting  the  destinies  of  the  empire.  One 
of  these  was  Lli  Pu-we,  a  merchant  of  Chao,  the  state  with 
which  Chin  was  most  frcqucntlv  at  war.  He  had  been  to  the 
young  prince  what  Menchikofif  was  to  Peter  the  Great ;  and, 
to  complete  the  parallel,  the  tongue  of  slander  connected  each 
in  a  similar  manner  with  the  elevation  of  an  empress.     Of  his 


256  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

many  services  the  most  signal  was  to  provide  a  worthy  suc- 
cessor in  the  chancellorship. 

Endowed  with  consummate  tact  and  sublime  self-confidence, 
Li-sze  was  just  the  man  required  to  convert  a  dynastic  change 
into  a  social  and  political  revolution.  In  sagacity  and  courage 
he  was  the  Bismarck  of  his  day ;  and  the  task  he  had  to  per- 
form was  not  unlike  that  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  eminent 
German — the  consolidation  of  the  power  of  a  new  imperial 
house  and  the  unification  of  a  dissevered  empire.  As  we  shall 
see,  he  accomplished  it  with  a  thoroughness  unattainable  by 
the  German  chancellor. 

It  cannot  be  aflfiirmed  that  he  was  superior  in  talents  to  his 
predecessors  in  office,  but  he  was  happier  than  they  in  being 
called  to  play  the  last  act  in  a  long  drama.  Most  of  them  had 
acted  the  part  of  innovators.  One  had  changed  the  tenure  of 
land,  another  had  reformed  the  mode  of  collecting  revenue,  a 
third  had  remodeled  the  army  ;  and  all,  by  introducing  foreign 
methods  and  employing  foreign  agents,  had  drawn  on  them- 
selves the  hostility  of  the  natives,  who  were  naturally  jealous 
of  foreign  influence.  The  wave  of  opposition  reached  its  height, 
in  the  days  of  Li-sze,  and  a  petition  was  laid  before  the  throne 
demanding  the  expulsion  of  all  foreigners.  The  premier  was 
equal  to  the  occasion.  Recounting  in  a  counter-memorial  the 
great  services  rendered  by  his  foreign  predecessors,  he  showed 
how  his  enemies,  to  satisfy  their  petty  spite,  would  force  their 
country  to  abdicate  its  destiny.  "The  Tai-shan,"  he  said,  "is 
a  great  mountain  because  it  does  not  spurn  the  grains  of  sand 
that  add  to  its  height.  The  Hoang-ho  is  a  great  river  because 
it  does  not  reject  any  rivulet  that  offers  to  swell  its  volume." 
He  went  on  to  api)ly  these  parallels  with  such  force  that  he 
not  only  stemmed  the  tide  of  opposition  for  the  time,  but  left 
on  permanent  record  a  masterly  argument  for  tlie  emplovment 
of  men  of  all  nations  who  are  able  to  bring  superior  gifts  to 
the  service  of  the  state.     In  that  day  "  foreigners  "  were  those 


SKETCH  OF  CIIIXESE  HISTORY  257 

who  lived  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  river  or  of  a  mountain 
range ;  to-day  tlie  word  means  those  who  dwell  l)eyond  the 
ocean.  The  eloquent  plea  of  Li-sze,  even  at  this  distance  of 
time,  has  had  some  influence  in  preparing  the  reigning  house 
to  welcome  foreigners,  who  by  new  arts  and  new  sciences  con- 
tribute to  the  well-being  of  the  empire. 

AMien,  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his  reign,  the  emperor  had 
destroyed  the  last  of  the  hostile  states,  he  resolved  to  signal- 
ize the  event  by  changing  the  imperial  title.  Instead  of  Tien 
]Va)!g  ("  Heaven-appointed  King  "),  a  title  made  venerable  by 
the  usage  of  nearly  a  thousand  years,  he  substituted  that  of 
Hoaiig-ti  ("Autocratic  Sovereign  "),  proudly  prefixing  the  syl- 
lable S]ii  ("the  First"),  that  he  might  be  remembered  as  the 
founder  of  a  new  order.  The  change  of  title  implied  a  change 
of  policy.  This  was  nothing  short  of  the  complete  abolition 
of  the  feudal  system,  a  system  consecrated  by  immemorial 
usage.  When  the  hostile  princes  had  been  dethroned,  two  of 
his  ministers  besought  him  to  install  his  own  kindred  in  the 
forfeited  dignities.  Li-sze,  being  asked  his  opinion,  replied 
that  a  "  system  which  had  brought  about  the  destruction  of 
the  empire  must  itself  be  destroyed  if  the  new  empire  was  to 
be  permanent."  Instead  of  restoring  the  fallen  powers  under 
altered  names,  he  recommended  that  their  very  boundaries 
should  be  obliterated,  and  that  the  whole  empire  should  be 
divided  into  thirty-six  provinces,  whose  governors  should  be 
appointed  by  the  central  throne  and  hold  office  for  a  limited 
term.  His  suggestions  were  adopted ;  at  the  same  time  the 
new  title  was  proclaimed,  as  expressive  of  the  altered  policy. 

If  the  overthrow  of  the  rival  principalities  had  cost  centuries 
of  conflict,  the  extirpation  of  their  traditions  was  not  likely  to 
be  attended  with  less  difficulty.  The  scholars  of  the  Confucian 
school  were  without  exception  devoted  to  the  ancient  regime, 
and  plotted  incessantly  for  its  restoration.  They  deemed  the 
feudal  partition  of  the  empire  as  sacred  as  a  law  of  nature. 


258  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

The  books,  in  which  that  order  of  things  was  consecrated, 
were,  as  Li-sze  pointed  out,  sufficient  to  call  it  into  existence 
again.  To  obviate  that  danger  he  proposed  that  they  should 
be  committed  to  the  flames ;  and  so  effectually  was  the  order 
carried  into  execution  that  very  few  escaped.  It  was  soon 
found  that  learned  men,  whose  minds  were  stored  with  the 
ancient  classics,  were  teaching  them  from  memory ;  they  might 
at  any  time  reproduce  them  in  writing,  and  many  of  them  were 
known  to  be  active  in  sowing  the  seeds  of  dissension.  "  Away 
with  them,"  said  the  tyrant,  as  we  may  fairly  call  him  ;  and  four 
hundred  and  sixty  of  the  most  eminent  were  put  to  death,  lest 
through  them  the  old  landmarks  should  be  made  to  reappear 
on  the  new  map  of  the  empire.  To  the  transformation  effected 
by  Chin-shi  the  unification  of  Italy  offers  a  close  parallel — the 
rise  and  growth  of  Sardinia  answering  to  the  rise  and  growth 
of  Chin ;  the  incorporation  of  Naples,  the  duchies,  and  the 
Papal  States  corresponding  to  the  abolition  of  the  feudal  prin- 
cipalities. The  unceasing  effort  of  the  clergy  to  bring  about  the 
resuscitation  of  the  temporal  power  completes  the  resemblance. 
Having,  as  he  supposed,  stamped  out  the  embers  of  sedition- 
within  his  dominions,  the  tyrant  turned  his  attention  to  the 
dangers  threatening  his  empire  from  without.  On  the  west  the 
mountains  of  Tibet  formed  a  natural  barrier ;  on  the  south  the 
river  Yang-tse  held  back  the  barbarous  tribes  who  inhabited 
its  right  bank  ;  on  the  east  the  sea  was  a  safeguard,  as  the  age 
of  maritime  warfare  had  not  yet  arrived  ;  but  the  north  was  a 
quarter  from  which  the  kings  of  Chin  had  learned  to  expect 
their  most  troublesome  though  not  their  most  powerful  ene- 
mies. A  strange  idea  then  came  into  the  head  of  the  autocrat 
—  tliat  of  walling  them  out.  This  had  been  attempted  before 
the  states  were  iniited,  bnt  it  was  fntile,  as  the  discontent  or 
ni-gligence  (if  a  neighbor  had  always  en;il)le(l  an  in\'ader  to 
enter  by  a  Hank  movement.  At  this  epoch  he  had  no  neigh- 
bors.   The  whole  empire,  from  the  desert  to  the  sea,  was  his ; 


SKETCH   OF   ClIIXESE    HISTOKY  259 

and  he  resolved  to  construct  a  wall,  not  to  supersede  vigilance 
or  valor,  but  to  render  them  effectual  in  securing  repose.  A 
million  of  men  were  sent  to  the  frontier,  some  laboring  as 
masons,  others  serving  as  guards;  and  in  ten  years'  time  the 
work  was  accomplished. 

Under  the  next  dynasty  a  faint  attempt  was  made  to  resus- 
citate the  feudal  states;  but,  though  then  and  later  they  were 
employed  by  political  agitators  as  "  names  to  conjure  with," 
the  system  was  dead.  Its  spirit  was  extinct.  The  people 
chose  to  be  devoured  by  one  lion  rather  than  by  a  gang  of 
jackals ;  and  the  sovereign,  finding  himself  in  possession  of 
autocratic  power,  was  loath  to  part  with  it.  The  system  of 
centralization  exists  to  this  day;  and  three  monuments  remain 
to  remind  all  generations  that  Chin-shi  was  its  author.  These 
are:  (i)  the  Great  Wall  of  China,  which  he  built;  (2)  the 
title  Hoa/ig-ti  for  emperor,  which  he  was  the  first  to  adopt ; 
(3)  the  name  China,  which  is  obviously  derived  from  the  house 
of  Chin,  which  made  itself  famous  by  absorbing  the  other  feu- 
dal states.  Yet  there  is  no  man  in  Chinese  history  whose 
memory  is  execrated  like  that  of  Chin-shi.  He  is  remembered 
as  burner  of  books  and  butcher  of  scholars  rather  than  as 
bulkier  of  the  wall  or  founder  of  the  empire. 

From  the  Great  Wall,  looking  down  the  stream  of  time,  we 
observe  in  the  foreground  the  dynasty  of  Han ;  and  further 
away,  in  diminishing  jierspective,  the  numerous  dynasties  that 
have  followed  each  other  to  the  present  day.  Some  have  been 
brief,  others  partial  in  extent.  Five  of  them  have  extended 
their  sway  over  the  whole  of  China,  and  held  possession  from 
one  to  three  centuries.  Each  of  these  periods  offers  to  the 
view  some  saKent  feature,  something  built  into  the  framework 
of  Chinese  life,  and  forming  a  permanent  addition  to  the  in- 
heritance of  tlie  Cliiiicse  people. 

If  the  tlynasty  of  Cln'n  has  the  honor  of  giving  to  China  the 
name  by  which  it  is  known  in  other  lands,  that  of  Han  (206 


26o  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

B.C.-203  A.D.)  has  bequeathed  to  the  people  the  designation  "by 
which  they  prefer  to  describe  themselves.  Nothing  but  widely 
extended  sway,  coupled  with  long  duration  and  briUiant 
achievement,  could  have  impressed  them  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  make  them  proud  to  call  themselves  the  "  sons  of  Han." 
The  Han  period,  which  stretches  over  four  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  years,  is,  as  might  be  expected,  peculiarly  rich  in  monu- 
ments of  intellectual  activity.  It  is  emphatically  an  era  of 
reconstruction,  when  the  Chinese  people,  delivered  from  the 
anarchy  of  the  "  warring  states,"  and  emancipated  from  the 
tyranny  of  Chin,  enter  on  a  new  career.  Two  things  concur 
to  make  it  forever  memorable — the  revival  of  letters,  and  the 
introduction  of  Buddhism.  Amid  the  clash  of  arms  and  the 
strife  of  factions  there  had  been  small  place  for  the  cultivation 
of  learning  ;  but  when,  after  two  or  three  turbulent  reigns,  Wen 
Ti,  a  pacific  prince,  found  himself  in  undisputed  possession 
(179  B.C.),  a  search  was  instituted  for  the  lost  books.  One 
after  another  the  missing  works  began  to  come  from  their  hid- 
ing-places, and  the  high  premium  placed  on  lost  literature 
naturally  suggested  its  fabrication.  Spurious  classics  appeared' 
in  great  numbers.  Some  of  them  were  works  of  genius,  and 
posterity  has  thought  fit  to  preserve  them,  though  reposing  no 
more  confidence  in  their  genuineness  than  we  do  in  the  poems 
of  Ossian.  The  invention  of  paper  by  Tsailun  in  the  second 
century  H.c.  also  contributed  greatly  to  the  multiplication  of 
books.  It  was  itself  a  result  of  the  revival  of  learning,  which 
created  a  demand  for  cheaper  writing  materials.  Till  then  silk 
or  bamboo  tablets  had  been  in  use. 

From  the  advent  of  the  wall-builder,  Taoism  had  been 
dominant  and  Confucianism  under  a  cloud.  By  the  revival  of 
letters  Confucianism  was  again  raised  to  honor,  without,  how- 
ever, any  immediate  repression  of  the  rival  creed,  which  through- 
out the  Han  ])eriod  continued  to  be,  with  occasional  fluctua- 
tions, in  great  favor.      In  the  year  a.d.  67,  under  the  Emj)er()r 


SKETCH  OF  CHINESE   HISTORY  261 

MingTi,  the  triad  of  religious  creeds  was  completed  by  the  intro- 
duction of  Buddhism  from  India.  The  apostles  of  Buddhism 
had  no  doubt  found  their  way  to  China  at  an  earlier  date,  and 
by  this  time  they  had  attracted  sufficient  attention  to  lead  to  an 
embassy  in  quest  of  competent  teachers.  Such  an  embassy 
was  a  natural  outcome  of  the  unsettled  state  of  the  Chinese 
mind,  agitated  by  the  contentions  of  rival  schools  of  religious 
thought.  The  emperor  is  said  to  have  been  prompted  to  this 
measure  by  a  dream,  in  which  he  saw  an  image  of  gold  repre- 
senting a  man  with  a  bow  and  two  arrows.  In  the  Chinese 
name  for  Buddha  the  radical  is  man  and  the  phonetic  a  bow 
and  arrows.  It  is  evident  that  the  analysis  of  the  character 
gave  birth  to  this  legend.  It  is  curious  to  speculate  what 
might  have  been  the  effect  had  Ming  Ti's  ambassadors  gone 
farther  west  and  met  with  disciples  of  the  young  and  vigorous 
Christianity  of  that  day. 

In  the  Tang  dynasty  (a.d.  618-905)  poetry,  which  appeared 
in  the  rudest  ages,  attained  its  highest  pitch  of  perfection  —  Li 
Po  and  Tu  Fu  being  the  Pope  and  Dryden  of  an  age  of  poets. 
Chinese  poetry  comprehends  every  variety  exxept  the  epic, 
whose  place  is  filled  by  semi-poetical  romances.  The  Chinese 
theater  now  secured  for  the  first  time  the  honor  of  imperial 
patronage ;  a  stage  was  erected  in  a  pear-garden,  whence  ac- 
tors are  still  described  as  "  children  of  the  pear-garden."  The 
Hanlin  Yuan,  or  Imperial  Academy,  which  crowns  the  culture 
of  the  whole  empire,  dates  from  this  period,  as  does  the  art  of 
printing,  anticipating  its  discovery  in  Europe  by  at  least  half  a 
millennium.  The  Sung  dynasty  (a.d.  960-1278)  was  marked 
by  three  things:  (i)  by  the  rise  of  speculative  philosophy,  the 
thinkers  of  that  j)eriod  being  both  acute  and  profound  ;  (2)  by 
expositions  of  Chinese  texts,  the  most  noted  expositor  being 
Chu-Fu-tse,  from  whom  it  is  heresy  to  dissent ;  (3)  by  the 
reorganization  of  the  civil-service  examinations,  which  then 
received  their  final  form. 


262  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

The  Yuen,  or  Mongol,  dynasty  (a.d.i  260-1341)  is  celebrated 
as  the  first  dynasty  of  Tartar  origin  which  succeeded  in  subju- 
gating the  whole  of  China,  though  for  two  centuries  previous 
the  northern  provinces  had  been  under  the  sway  of  Tartars, 
in  spite  of  the  Great  Wall  erected  to  keep  them  out.  The 
dominions  of  Kublai  were  probably  more  extensive  than 
those  of  any  monarch  of  ancient  or  modern  times.  The  com- 
pletion by  him  of  the  Grand  Canal,  from  Peking  to  Hang- 
chau,  a  distance  of  seven  hundred  miles,  stands  as  a  monument 
of  enterprise  alongside  the  Great  Wall. 

The  intellectual  character  of  the  Ming  dynasty  (a.d.  1368- 
1644)  is  chiefly  marked  by  the  formation  of  encyclopedic  col- 
lections and  the  codification  of  the  laws.  During  the  troubles 
which  preceded  the  overthrow  of  the  Mings,  the  Manchus, 
originally  an  insignificant  tribe  of  Tartars,  made  themselves 
masters  of  the  region  to  the  northeast  of  the  Great  Wall. 
Called  in  as  auxiliaries  by  a  general  in  charge  of  the  pass, 
who,  under  pretense  of  avenging  the  death  of  his  sovereign, 
veiled  a  private  ambition,  they  seized  the  throne,  and  in 
seven  years  saw  the  whole  empire  at  their  feet.  The  celerity 
of  their  conquest  was  equaled  by  the  wisdom  of  their  govern- 
ment. By  adopting  the  institutions  of  the  conquered  they 
minified  the  odium  insej)arable  from  a  foreign  domination  and 
prolonged  their  tenure  much  beyond  the  average  of  Chinese 
dynasties.  Among  China's  wisest  rulers  no  one  surpasses 
Kanghi  (a.d.  1662-1723);  nor  among  her  empresses  are  there 
many  to  compare  with  the  Dowager  Tszehi,  who,  after  a  re- 
gency of  nearly  tliirty  years,  is  still  tlie  greatest  power  behind 
the  throne.  As  a  representative  woman  she  deserves  a  fuller 
notice.  A  Manchu,  and  born  of  a  noble  house  (the  slave-girl 
story  is  a  ficti(jn).  slie  was  carefully  educated  —  an  advantage 
which  in  China  falls  to  few  of  her  sex,  even  of  the  noisiest 
families.  Becoming  a  secondary  wife  to  the  l'>mperor  Ilien- 
fuiig,  she  had  the  happiness  to  present  him  with  an  heir  to  the 


SKETCH  OF  CIIIXESE  HISTORY  263 

throne.  To  signalize  his  joy  he  raised  her  to  the  rank  of  em- 
press, his  sonless  consort  retaining  a  nominal  precedence  and 
occupying  a  palace  on  the  east,  while  to  her  was  assigned,  by 
way  of  distinction,  a  palace  on  the  west. 

In  the  regency  which  on  Hienfung's  death  the  two  ladies 
exercised  in  the  name  of  their  son  she  was  the  ruling  spirit,  as 
also  in  their  second  regency  during  the  minority  of  her  nephew, 
die  present  emperor.  During  the  great  famine  in  Shansi  both 
ladies  won  the  hearts  of  their  subjects  by  a  touching  expression 
of  sympathy,  unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of  any  nation.  Ascer- 
taining that  the  cost  of  the  flesh-meats  that  came  on  their  table 
was  about  seventy-five  dollars  per  diem,  they  announced  that 
they  would  eat  no  more  meat  while  their  people  were  starving, 
and  ordered  the  amount  saved  by  their  self-denial  to  be  turned 
over  to  the  relief  fund.  It  is  not  a  little  to  their  praise  that 
they  reigned  together  more  harmoniously  than  the  joint  kings 
of  Sparta  or  the  joint  emperors  of  Rome. 

Since  the  death  of  the  eastern  dowager,  in  1881,  the  western 
has  been  more  conspicuously  absolute,  though  not  more  really 
powerful,  than  she  was  before.  In  the  conflict  with  Japan  she 
showed  that  her  patriotism  was  equal  to  her  humanity  by  pour- 
ing into  the  war-chest  the  millions  that  had  been  collected  for 
the  celel)ration  of  her  sixtieth  anniversary.  Her  hair  is  black 
(or  was  so),  her  eyes  dark,  her  complexion  subolive,  and  her 
feet  of  the  natural  size.  I  may  add,  the  better  to  enable  the 
reader  to  remember  her,  that  her  full  name  is  Tszehi  Toanvu 
Kangi  Chaoyu  Chuaxgcheng  Shokuxg  Chinhien  Chuxg- 

SIH. 

Under  the  Manchus  the  population  has  risen  to  more  than 
nine  times  that  of  the  Tang  period,  when  it  was  only  fort}--five 
millions.  The  formation  of  encvclopedias  and  codifications, 
begun  under  the  Mings,  has  been  vigorously  carried  forward. 
Literary  criticism  is  much  cultivated,  and  the  refinements  of 
style  are  carried  to  a  higher  point  than  in  any  previous  age. 


264 


A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 


Another  characteristic  is  the  cuhivation  of  Western  science, 
which  was  introduced  under  the  last  rulers  of  the  Ming,  favored 
especially  by  the  earlier  sovereigns  of  the  Tsing,  and  is  now 
actively  propagated  in  the  developed  form  which  it  has  attained 
in  our  day.  Along  with  science  came  the  Christian  religion, 
and  with  it  a  spiritual  force  which  is  destined  to  effect  a  pro- 
found revolution  in  the  inner  life  of  the  Chinese, 


Rff 'St""*' ^ISP 


*"   '   -^    —ii.-  ^^-,  *    ^r  •-T-/'-.  ,''—/' -jfe^ 


T  K.MI'I.IC    MTACHKI)     It)    THE    ALTAR    OF    HK\VK\.        C^KK     1'A(;K    242.) 


CHAPTER  IV 

VISIT   TO    A    COLONY    OF   JEWS 

Rough  vehicles — Primitive  roads — Alarm-beacons  —  Hills  and  minerals  — 
Wretched  inns  —  People  and  cities  —  Moslems  and  Jews 

THE  dust  of  China's  greatest  sage  reposes  near  the  place 
of  his  birth,  at  Kiu-fu,  in  the  province  of  Shantung.  Ten 
days  would  have  sufficed  to  carry  me  to  the  sacred  spot,  but, 
as  I  desired  first  to  visit  an  ancient  colony  of  Jews  in  the 
province  of  Honan,  I  spent  four  weeks  wandering  through  the 
heart  of  China  before  arriving  there,  and  after  exploring  the 
Yellow  River  proceeded  to  Shanghai  by  way  of  the  Grand 
Canal  and  the  river  Yang-tse. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  1866,  I  set  out  from  Peking  on 
what  was  then  a  route  untrodden  by  European  feet ;  but  so 
few  are  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  interior  of 
that  most  conservative  of  empires  that  my  narrative  is  to-day 
as  true  to  the  life  as  if  its  date  were  of  yesterday.  No  new 
canal  has  been  excavated  nor  any  railway  constructed  in  that 
region,  nor  has  anything  been  added  to  the  information  then 
gathered  concerning  the  Jews. 

Kai-fung-fu,  the  abode  of  the  Jewish  colony,  being  four 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  southwest  of  lacking,  I  engaged 
a  cart  drawn  by  two  mules  to  carry  me  tliere  in  fifteen  days. 
Bestowing  in  it  my  baggage  and  a  servant,  I  accompanied  the 
vehicle  on  horseback,  taking  pains  to  keep  in  sight.  As  these 
carts  have  no  springs,  this  mode  of  traveling  by  cart  is  to  be 

26  s 


266  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

recommended  on  the  score  of  comfort,  the  chief  drawback 
being  exposure  to  wind,  dust,  and  cold.  So  indifferent  are 
the  Chinese  to  jolting  that  the  master  always  takes  the  cart 
and  puts  his  attendant  on  horseback.  In  less  than  a  week, 
my  horse  becoming  lame,  I  sold  him  for  a  song,  and  soon 
became  reconciled  to  the  snug  berth  of  Yung-an,  taking  long 
walks  to  stretch  my  stiffened  limbs. 

After  a  full  month  of  this  luxurious  mode  of  motion  I  had 
to  descend  to  a  humbler  vehicle  because  the  road  became  so 
narrow  that  it  would  accommodate  only  one  wheel.  My  wheel- 
barrow, the  common  conveyance  in  that  region,  was  pushed 
by  one  man  and  drawn  by  another,  the  passengers  balancing 
each  other  by  sitting  on  opposite  sides  when  they  did  not 
choose  to  walk.  Some  of  these  barrows  were  iitted  with  mast 
and  sail,  so  that  when  the  wind  was  fair  the  driver  had  nothing 
to  do  but  hold  the  helm  and  "keep  her  steady." 

The  highroad,  as  it  winds  through  the  plain,  presents  to 
the  distant  view  the  aspect  of  a  river  with  wooded  banks ;  a 
row  of  trees,  mostly  willow  and  aspen,  being  planted  on  either 
side,  to  supply  shade  to  travelers  and  timber  for  the  repair  of. 
bridges.  Its  course  is  traced  by  other  landmarks  which,  if  less 
graceful,  are  more  striking  to  the  eye  of  a  foreign  observer.  I 
allude  to  the  police  stations  and  watch-towers  that  line  the 
road  at  intervals  of  from  one  to  two  miles.  The  police  stations, 
though  presenting  in  conspicuous  characters  a  list  of  the  force, 
together  with  an  official  statement  of  their  duty  to  "protect 
the  traveler  and  arrest  robbers,"  were  nearly  all  deserted,  'i'he 
tranquillity  of  the  country,  however,  is  not  su(^h  as  to  justify 
negligence,  for  we  were  informed  that  at  one  point  of  the  road 
several  carts  had  not  long  before  been  carried  away  by  robbers. 
The  watch-towers,  built  of  brick  and  resembling  the  bastions  of 
a  city  wall,  are  intended  not  only  for  ol)ser\-alion  but  defense. 
In  front  of  each  are  several  little  structures  of  brick,  sur- 
mounted by  a  cone  or  semi-oval  elevation  covered  with  lime 


VISIT   TO  A    COLONY  OF  JEWS 


267 


and  resembling  a  huge  egg.  These  are  always  five  in  number, 
for  wliat  reason  I  am  unal^le  to  say,  unless  because  the  Chinese 
reckon  five  colors  in  the  rainbow  and  five  virtues  in  their  moral 
code.  They  are  depositories  of  fuel,  supjiosed  to  be  ready  for 
the  lighting  of  signal-fires  on  the   occurrence  of  any  sudden 


alarm.  It  is  not,  however,  flame  but  smoke  that  they  use  for 
signals,  and  die  substance  which  they  profess  to  employ  for 
this  purpose  as  possessing  certain  remarkable  properties  is  laii^;; 
fen  ("excrement  of  wolves").  Here  was  a  new  use  for  the 
wolf.  I  saw  one  run  across  the  road,  Init  it  was  disappointing 
not  to  see  fl(X'ks  of  them  carefully  tended  by  a  wolf-herd  for 
the  production  of  this  important  substance,  lioth  towers  and 
beacons  are  falling  to  decay,  and  the  impression  made  by  their 
neglected  ruins  is  that  the  dav  is  not  far  distant  when  the  tele- 
graph of  wolf's  dung  will  be  superseded  by  the  electric  wire. 

Through  this  portion  of  my  journey  the  eye  of  the  traveler 
rests  on  but  one  natural  object  that  can  truly  be  denominated 
picturesque ;  this  is  the  long  range  of  Si-shan  hills,  which, 
meeting  him  outside  the  gates  of  Peking,  runs  parallel  to  his 
course   for  nearly  four  hundred   miles.     The  highest   peaks 


268  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

covered  with  snow  and  glittering  like  a  thousand  gilded  domes, 
their  rugged  sides  resembling  the  wave-worn  shore  of  a  long- 
retired  ocean,  they  form  at  first  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  un- 
varying level  of  the  subjacent  plain.  But  when  the  traveler 
has  opened  his  eyes  on  what  seems  to  be  the  same  landscape 
each  morning  for  a  fortnight  he  grows  weary  of  their  uniform- 
ity and  seeks  relief  in  speculating  on  the  varied  wealth  that 
lies  concealed  beneath  their  monotonous  surface.  Silver  they 
certainly  do  contain,  but  the  mines  of  Shansi,  whether  from 
defective  engineering  or  other  causes,  are  no  longer  remuner- 
ative, and  have  ceased  to  be  worked.  Of  gold  nothing  has  so 
far  been  discovered,  but  coal  is  found  there  in  rich  deposits, 
and  along  with  it  abundance  of  iron  —  the  most  precious  of  all 
metals.  Here,  then,  on  the  line  of  this  imperial  road  along 
the  base  of  this  range  of  hills,  is  the  track  for  the  first  grand 
trunk  railway  in  the  Chinese  emj)ire.*  Except  in  the  capital 
of  Honan  I  failed  to  find  on  this  long  journey  anything  that 
could  be  termed  a  decent  lodging-place.  The  larger  inns  are 
caravansaries,  like  those  of  western  Asia,  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  camels ;  the  smaller  ofi^er  accommodations  for  foot- 
passengers  only.  None  is  more  than  one  story  in  height,  and 
all  have  floors  of  earth,  with  a  divan  of  brick  or  wood  to  serve 
for  a  bed  at  night  and  a  sofa  by  day.  The  guest  provides  his 
own  bedding,  and  his  food  too  if  he  is  nice  on  that  point. 
Many  of  the  inns  are  kept  by  Moliammedans,  as  I  learned  to 
my  cost.  One  day,  wlien  my  servant  had  set  tlie  table  and  I 
was  about  to  begin  my  breakfast  witli  a  slice  of  ham,  the  iiui- 
keeper  appeared,  and  implored  me  by  all  that  was  sacred  to 
abstain  from  pork,  for  his  sake  if  not  for  my  own.  Sending 
it  away,  I  addressed  myself  to  a  piece  of  corned  beef.  To 
this  the  host  also  f)l)jected,  saying  that  the  cow  was  a  sacred 
beast ;  and  it  is  so  in  southern  China.      To  sj)are  his  feelings 

*   \  railway  tu    Hankinv,  over  tliis  \fry  route,  lias   been   reeeiitly  ]>ro- 
jccteil  and  sanctioned,  hut  its  cunstruction  is  (.Iclayed  Ijy  want  of  funds. 


VISIT   TO  A    CO  LOW  OF  JEWS 


269 


I  said  I  would  break  my  fast  on  bread  and  butter.  "  Not  on 
butter,  1  beseech  you,"  he  exc-laimed ;  "  butter,  too,  is  forbid- 
den. INIy  dishes  have  not  been  greased  with  it  for  five  years." 
Swallowing  my  dry  morsel  with  a  cup  of  tea,  I  left  the  place, 
resolving  the  next  time  to  steer  clear  of  an  innkeeper  encum- 
bered by  such  a  combination  of  prejudices. 

In  places  the  country  had  been  swept  by  hordes  of  rebels, 
and  it  was  scarcely  possil)le  to  obtain  at  any  price  a  chicken 
or  an  egg,  while  rice  was  out  of  the  question,  and  coarse  millet 
the  only  food  procurable.  Unwalled  villages  had  been  re- 
duced to  ashes,  and  their  wretched  inhabitants,  who  were  liv- 
ing in  mat  sheds,  had  their  remaining  possessions  loaded  on 
wheelbarrows  in  readiness  to  flv  the  moment  their  sentinel 
should  report  the  approach  of  marauders.  In  one  of  those 
villages  the  most  comfortable  lodging  I  could  obtain  for  the 
night  was  a  mill  turned  by  a  buffalo.    Spreading  my  mattress 


.%iv-^<^ri 


.....'JSi^l 


MY   BEDSTEAD. 


on  the  nether  millstone,  as  the  cleanest  available  spot,  my 
wearv  limbs  found  it  a  bed  of  down.  Portable  kitchens  were 
much  in  demand,  not  merely  as  enabling  one  man  to  serve  many 


270 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


families,  but  making  it  possible  for  him,  like  the  snail,  to  run  away 
with  his  house  on  his  back.  In  one  place  the  inn  was  too  poor 
to  afford  a  candlestick  ;  but  by  way  of  substitute  the  innkeeper 
showed  me  a  trick  which  would  have  delighted  the  economical 
Diogenes.     Cutting  a  turnip  in  half,  he  turned  the  flat  side 


A    roRTAIil.F.    KITCHEN. 


down,  and  thrusting  into  it  a  bamboo  chopstick,  "  There's 
your  candlestick,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  triumph.  Mv  candle, 
supported  on  that  sharp  stick,  gave  as  good  a  light  as  if  it  had 
rested  on  silver.  In  most  of  these  inns  the  whited  walls  serve 
the  double  purpose  of  ledger  and  visitors'  l)ook,  the  names  of 
lodgers  being  scrawled  there,  along  with  their  accounts  and 
various  effusions  in  prose  or  \erse.  In  one  was  a  ])asquinade 
on  Lady  Slien,  the  wife  of  the  i)refect,  who  must  have  been  a 
remarkable  woman  to  exercise  a  "  reign  of  terror  over  her  hus- 
band, and  through  him  over  the  whole  district."  In  another 
I  read  in  verse  this  confession  of  an  opium-smoker: 

"  For  a  time  I  <lalli(j(l  witli  tlic  lamp  and  iiipL- ; 

Pleasure  l)ecaine  disease,  and  I  souglit  in  \ain  for  antidotes; 

Now,  in  ]>o\crty  and  pain, 

1  am  Ljlad  to  eiin>ume  llie  ashes  from  aiiotlicr's  pipe." 

\\\>  exj)erience  may  \)v  taken  as  that  of  a  large  class.  To 
these  rude  verses  add  rude  pictures,  not   always   deceiU,  and 


VISIT   TO  A    COLOXY  OF  JEWS  271 

you  have  an  idea  of  the  embellishment  of  the  wayside  hotels. 
As  an  index  of  the  state  of  morals,  1  may  mention  that  in 
many  places  singing-girls  were  importunate  in  offering  their 
services,  which  were  not  confined  to  music. 

Away  from  great  cities  the  people  always  exhibit  a  friendly 
and  unsuspicious  disposition.  "  He  speaks  our  language," 
they  said;  "if  his  whiskers  were  shaven  off  he  would  be  as 
good-looking  as  we  are."  They  asked  me  not  from  what 
country  but  "  from  what  province  "  I  came,  and  occasionally 
incjuired  whether  I  was  Tartar  or  Chinese.  In  one  case  the 
most  learned  man  in  a  village,  after  talking  with  me  in  the 
evening,  came  back  in  the  morning  to  say  that  he  had  not 
been  able  to  find  the  name  of  my  country  in  his  "  Dictionary 
of  Universal  Knowledge."  I  inquired  the  date  of  the  work, 
and  found  it  was  two  hundred  years  old.  Arriving  late  and 
starting  early,  I  usually  escaped  annoyance  at  the  hands  of  the 
curious ;  but  where  I  stopped  for  Sunday  their  curiosity  knew 
no  bounds.  Gathering  in  immense  throngs,  they  would  force 
themselves  into  my  inn,  breaking  down  doors  and  windows, 
and  were  only  appeased  when  I  came  out  and  placed  myself 
on  view.  When  I  spoke  to  them  on  the  truths  of  religion 
they  listened  respcctfullv,  and  thev  were  always  glad  to  get  a 
few  tracts,  though  not  many  were  able  to  read  them.  One 
man  said  he  had  received  a  Bible  from  a  foreigner,  but  remem- 
bered onlv  one  word  of  its  contents — the  name  "  Yehowa." 
That  name,  I  told  him,  was  the  subject  of  the  whole  book ; 
and  it  served  me  for  an  excellent  text. 

Except  in  the  districts  affected  by  rebellion,  the  people  ap- 
peared well  fed  and  well  dressed  ;  and  the  absence  of  beggars 
testified  to  the  comfort  of  their  social  condition.  In  one 
village  e\-erv  man  wore  two  hats,  one  superposed  upon  the 
other,  licfore  noting  it  down  as  a  custom  of  the  country  I 
learned  on  incpiirv  that  thosr  people  were  coming  home  from 
a  fair,  where   each   had   pro\-ided  himself  with  a  new  hat  for 


272  J    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

the  new  year,  to  begin  the  next  day.  The  next  day  the  new 
one  only  was  worn.  The  shops  and  gateways  were  adorned 
with  new  inscriptions  on  fresh  red  paper,  everybody  appeared 
in  bright  apparel,  and  the  streets  were  thronged  with  people 
paying  visits  of  ceremony.  My  innkeeper  threw  himself  at 
my  feet  and  wished  me  a  happy  New  Year,  expecting  and 
receiving  the  usual  ci/iiis/um.',  or  gift,  the  word  meaning  gold- 
dust.  My  servant  performed  the  same  ceremony,  and  then 
asked  my  permission  to  offer  the  prescribed  token  of  respect  to 
his  mother.  She  was  far  away ;  but,  turning  his  face  toward 
Peking,  he  bowed  his  head  to  the  earth  nine  times  and  wished 
her  long  life — a  beautiful  expression  of  that  filial  feeling  which 
has  created  the  worship  of  ancestors  and  made  it  a  living  force 
among  the  Chinese  people. 

In  China  a  city  always  has  a  wall ;  and  it  is  sometimes 
called  a  large  city  when  it  has  very  few  inhabitants.  After 
leaving  Peking  I  passed  through  more  than  twenty  cities,  of 
four  grades  in  political  importance,  Pao-ting  and  Kai-fung, 
with  a  population  of  one  and  two  hundred  thousand  respec- 
tively, being  the  largest.  Isolated  farm-houses  were  nowhere 
to  be  seen  ;  the  people  all  congregate  in  villages  for  conve- 
nience and  mutual  protection.  The  country  is  thus  deprived 
of  its  beauty,  and  what  Akenside  calls 

"  The  mild  dignity  of  private  life  " 

is  practically  unknown.  Through  the  greater  part  of  the  region 
that  came  under  my  view  the  population  was  sparse  compared 
with  that  on  the  sea-coast,  though  the  soil  is  extremely  fertile. 
The  cities  were  in  most  cases  empty  fortresses,  their  streets 
here  and  there  spanned  with  honorary  portals.  One  was  in- 
scribed to  a  father  and  son,  who  had  both  risen  to  the  rank  of 
cabinet  minister  ;  another  recorded  the  fact  that  one  family  had 
for  four  generations  given  a  viceroy  to  some  province  of  the 
empire  ;  a  third  was  in  honor  of  a  widow,  and  bore  the  legend  : 


VISIT  TO  A    COIONY  OF  JEWS  273 

"  Her  virtue  was  as  pure,  and  her  heart  as  cold,  as  ice." 

This  does  not  imply  that  chastity, 

"  Pure  as  the  icicle  that  hangs  on  Dian's  temple," 

is  at  all  rare.  It  only  means  that  Madam  Ping,  being  left  a 
widow  at  an  early  age,  had  resisted  all  temptations  to  marry 
again.  Such  portals  are  erected  at  private  expense,  but  not 
without  a  license  from  the  emperor,  which  it  costs  something 
to  obtain.  A  similar  portal,  spanning  the  roadway  near  a 
humble  hamlet,  informs  the  passenger  that  "here  were  born 
six  or  seven  famous  kings  of  the  dynasty  of  Shang  "  (i.e.,  be- 
tween three  and  four  thousand  years  ago).  It  was  amusing 
to  note  that  the  names  of  these  kings  were  not  given,  but  that 
of  the  pubhc-spirited  donor  was  duly  recorded. 

I  passed  through  a  deserted  city,  whose  walls  of  baked  clay 
were  in  good  condition,  though  their  facing  of  brick  had  been 
removed.  It  had  been  the  capital  of  Chao,  a  small  but  war- 
like state  in  the  feudal  period,  when  Babylon  was  in  her  glory. 
Fancy  could  conjure  up  the  armies  that  had  issued  from  those 
silent  gates ;  and  the  Chinese,  who  have  a  dread  of  ghosts, 
always  give  it  a  wide  berth  at  night,  though  they  are  not  afraid 
to  pass  through  in  daytime.  Another  spot  of  antiquarian  in- 
terest was  the  town  of  Yangku,  which  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  site  of  an  astronomical  observatory  in  the  reign  of 
Yao,  2300  B.C.  At  present  it  contains  nothing  suggestive  of 
science. 

The  existence  in  Honan  of  a  colony  of  Jews,  who  profess 
to  have  entered  China  before  our  era,  has  long  been  known  to 
the  Christian  world.  They  were  discovered  by  Jesuit  fathers 
in  the  seventeenth  century.  In  1850  a  deputation  of  native 
Christians  was  sent  among  them  by  Bishop  Smith  and  Dr.  Med- 
hurst.  Two  of  the  Jews  were  induced  to  come  to  Shanghai,  and 
some  of  their  Hebrew  manuscripts  were  obtained ;  but  up  to  the 


2  74  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

date  of  my  journey  they  had  not,  so  far  as  we  are  informed, 
been  visited  for  more  than  two  centuries  by  any  European, 
It  became  therefore  a  matter  of  interest  to  ascertain  their 
present  condition,  and  this,  as  I  have  remarked,  was  the  chief 
consideration  that  induced  me  to  make  Kai-fung-fu  an  objec- 
tive point  in  the  course  of  my  inland  travels.  There  is  reason 
to  believe  that  in  earlier  ages  there  were  many  other  congre- 
gations of  Jews  located  in  different  parts  of  China.  A  syna- 
gogue at  Xingpo,  now  destroyed,  formerly  contributed  one  or 
more  copies  of  the  law  to  their  brethren  in  Honan,  and  Chi- 
nese writers  speak  of  a  sect  called  I/icii-kiao,  supposed  to  be 
Jews. 

On  arriving  at  Kai-fung-fu,  I  inquired  for  the  Jewish  syna- 
gogue, but  getting  no  satisfactory  answer  from  the  pagan  inn- 
keeper, I  went  for  information  to  one  of  the  Mohammedan 
mosques,  of  which  there  are  six  within  the  walls.  I  was  well 
received  by  tlie  mufti,  and  the  ad\-ent  of  a  stranger  from  the 
West,  who  was  reported  to  be  a  worshiper  of  the  "  True  Lord," 
drew  together  a  large  concourse  of  the  faithful.  "  Don't  be 
uneasy,"  said  the  mufti ;  "these  are  all  believers;  I  want  you 
to  tell  them  al)out  Jesus,  the  son  of  Mary."  He  pronounced 
the  name  with  reverence,  as  that  of  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
of  their  propliets ;  and  seldom  has  a  missionary  preached  to  a 
larger  audience  of  Moslems  than  I  addressed  that  dav  from 
the  pages  of  the  Xew  Testament.  The  Jews  he  denounced  as 
kafirs  ("  unbelievers  "),  and  he  evinced  no  vcrv  poignant  sorrow 
when  he  informed  me  that  their  svnagogue  had  come  to  deso- 
lation. It  was,  he  assured  me,  utterly  demolished,  antl  tlie 
people  who  had  worshiped  there  were  impoverished  and  scat- 
tered abroad.  "  Then,"  said  I,  "  I  will  go  and  see  the  spot 
on  which  it  stDod  ;"  and  directing  mv  bearers  to  proceed  to  the 
place  indicated  by  the  mufti,  I  passed  through  streets  crowded 
with  curious  spectators  to  an  open  square,  in  the  center  of  which 
there  stood  a  solitary  stone.     On  one  side  was  an  inscription 


VISIT   TO   A    COI.OXY   OF  JTllS  275 

commemorating  the  erection  of  the  synagogue,  and  on  the  other 
a  record  of  its  rebuilding ;  but  to  my  eye  it  told  a  sadder  tale 
—  not  of  building  and  rebuilding,  but  of  decay  and  ruin.  It 
was  inscribed  with  JcJiabod — "the  glory  is  departed."  Stand- 
ing on  the  pedestal  and  resting  my  right  hand  on  the  head  of 
that  stone,  which  was  to  be  a  silent  witness  of  the  truths  I  was 
about  to  utter,  I  explained  to  the  expectant  multitude  my 
reasons  for  "  taking  pleasure  in  the  stones  of  Israel  and  favor- 
ing the  dust  thereof."  * 

"Are  there  among  you  any  of  the  family  of  Israel?  "  I  in- 
quired. "  I  am  one,"  responded  a  young  man  whose  face  cor- 
roborated his  assertion  ;  and  then  another  and  another  stepped 
forth,  until  I  saAv  before  me  representatives  of  six  out  of  the 
seven  families  into  which  the  colonv  is  divided,  'i'here,  on 
that  melancholy  spot  where  the  very  foundations  of  the  syna- 
gogue had  been  torn  from  the  ground  and  there  no  longer  re- 
mained  one  stone  upon   another,  they  confessed  with  shame 

*  Mucli  interesting  information  toucliing  tlie  Jews  in  China  may  be 
found  in  tlie  twentieth  volume  of  the  ''  Cliinese  Repository,"  whicli  con- 
tains also  the  report  of  the  deputation  abovf  referreil  to.  Froni  tliis  source 
I  borrow  an  extract  from  the  inscription  on  that  monumental  stone  :  "  With 
respect  to  the  religion  of  Israel,  \\e  iind  that  our  first  ancestor  was  Adam. 
The  founder  of  tlie  religion  was  Abraham  ;  then  came  Moses,  who  estab- 
lished the  law  and  handed  down  tlie  sacred  \\ritings.  During  the  dynasty 
of  Ilan  (h.c.  200-A.D.  226)  this  religion  entered  China.  In  the  second 
year  of  Iliao-tsung,  of  the  Sung  dynasty  (A.D.  1 164),  a  synagogue  was 
erected  in  Kai-fung-fu.  Idiose  who  attempt  to  represent  (lod  by  images 
or  pictures  do  but  vainly  occupy  themselves  with  em])ty  forms.  Those 
who  honor  and  obey  the  sacred  writings  know  the  origin  of  all  things, 
h'.ternal  reason  and  the  sacred  writings  mutually  sustain  each  other  in  tes- 
tif)ing  whence  men  derived  their  l)t'ing.  All  those  who  jirofess  this  re- 
ligion aim  at  the  pr:ictiee  of  goodness  and  avoid  the  connnission  of  vice." 
It  is  affecting  to  think  of  this  solitary  stone  continuing  to  bear  its  silent 
testimonv  after  the  synagogue  has  fallen  and  the  voice  of  its  worshipers 
ceased  to  be  heard.  Like  tliat  wliieli  records  the  story  of  the  Xestorian 
missions  in  China,  it  deser\es  to  be  regartled  as  one  of  the  most  precious 
monuments  of  religious  history. 


276  ./    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

and  grief  that  their  holy  and  beautiful  house  had  been  demol- 
ished by  their  own  hands.  It  had  for  a  long  time,  they  said, 
been  in  a  ruinous  condition ;  they  had  no  money  to  make 
repairs ;  they  had,  moreover,  lost  all  knowledge  of  the  sacred 
tongue ;  the  traditions  of  the  fathers  were  no  longer  handed 
down  and  their  ritual  worship  had  ceased  to  be  observed.  In 
this  state  of  things  they  had  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  neces- 
sity and  disposed  of  the  timbers  and  stones  of  that  venerable 
edifice  to  obtain  relief  for  their  bodily  wants. 

In  the  evening  some  of  them  came  to  my  lodgings,  bringing 
for  my  inspection  a  copy  of  the  "  Law  "  inscribed  on  a  roll  of 
parchment,  without  the  points,  and  in  a  style  of  manuscript 
which  I  was  unable  to  make  out,  though  I  had  told  them 
rather  imprudently  that  I  was  acquainted  with  the  language  of 
their  sacred  books.* 

The  next  day,  the  Christian  Sabbath,  they  repeated  their 
visit,  listening  respectfully  to  what  I  had  to  say  concerning  the 
law  and  the  gospel,  and  answering  as  far  as  they  were  able 
my  inquiries  as  to  their  past  history  and  present  state.  Two 
of  them  appeared  in  official  costume,  one  wearing  a  gilt  and 
the  other  a  crystal  button  ;  ])ut,  far  from  sustaining  the  usual 
character  for  thrift  and  worldly  prosperity,  they  number  among 
them  none  that  is  rich  and  but  few  that  are  honorable.  Some, 
indeed,  true  to  their  hereditary  instincts,  are  employed  in  a 
small  way  in  banking  establishments  (the  first  man  I  met  was 
a  money-changer) ;  others  keep  fruit-stores  and  cake-shops, 
drive  a  business  in  old  clothes,  or  pursue  various  handicrafts, 
while  a  few  find  employment  in  military  service.  The  preva- 
lence of  rei)ellion  in  the  central  provinces  had  told  sadly  on 

*  I  afterward  olitaincd  from  them  two  rolls  of  the  law,  and  after  a  lit- 
tle ])racticc  found  myself  able  to  read  them  with  sufficient  ease,  the  chief 
ditlieulty  lieini;  the  want  of  the  customary  vowel-points.  C)ne  of  these 
im!!^  I  ])r<jeured  for  my  friend.  Dr.  S.  Wells  Williams,  who  presented  it 
to  the  library  of  Vale  College. 


VISIT  TO  A    COLOXY  OF  JEWS  277 

the  prosperity  of  Kai-fung-fu,  and  the  Jews  have,  not  unhkely 
owing  to  the  nature  of  their  occupations,  been  the  greatest 
sufferers.  Their  number  they  estimated,  though  not  very  ex- 
actly, at  from  three  to  four  hundred.  They  were  unable  to 
trace  their  tribal  pedigree,  they  keep  no  register,  and  never  on 
any  occasion  assemble  together  as  one  congregation.  Until 
recently  they  had  a  common  center  in  their  synagogue,  though 
their  liturgical  service  had  long  been  discontinued ;  but  the 
congregation  seems  to  be  following  the  fate  of  its  building. 
No  bond  of  union  remains,  and  they  are  in  danger  of  being 
speedily  absorbed  by  Mohammedanism  or  heathenism.  One 
of  them  has  lately  become  a  priest  of  Buddha,  taking  for  his 
title  Pe/i-tao,  which  signifies  "  one  who  is  rooted  in  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth."  The  large  tablet  that  once  adorned  the 
entrance  of  the  synagogue,  bearing  in  gilded  characters  the 
name  "  Israel  "  [I-sz-Io-jr/i),  has  been  appropriated  by  one  of 
the  Mohammedan  mosques.  Some  efforts  have  been  made 
to  draw  over  the  people,  who  differ  from  the  Moslems  so  little 
that  their  heathen  neighbors  have  never  been  able  to  distin- 
guish them  by  any  other  circumstance  than  that  of  their  pick- 
ing the  sinews  out  of  the  flesh  they  eat  —  a  custom  commem- 
orative of  Jacob's  conflict  with  the  angel.  These  Jews,  in 
commemoration  of  the  principal  land  of  their  sojourn  on  their 
way  to  China,  formerly  called  their  religion  Tienchu  Kiau  (the 
"religion  of  India").  This  name,  being  in  sound,  though  not 
in  orthographv,  liable  to  be  confounded  with  that  of  the 
Roman  Catholics,  was  later  on  abandoned  thi'ough  fear  of 
their  being  involved  in  the  fierce  persecution  which  fell  on  the 
Christians  of  China.  They  then  called  themselves  Tiao-kiii- 
kiao  ("  sinew-pickers  "),  from  a  name  first  given  them  in  deri- 
sion by  their  heathen  neighbors.      (See  Gen.  xxxii.  32.) 

One  of  my  visitors  was  a  son  of  the  last  of  their  rabbis,  who. 
some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  died  in  the  province  of  Kan-su. 
With  him  perished  the  last  vestige  of  their  acquaintance  with 


278  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

the  sacred  tongue.  Though  they  still  preserve  several  copies  of 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  there  is  not  a  man  among  them  who 
can  read  a  word  of  Hebrew  ;  and  not  long  ago  it  was  seriously 
proposed  to  expose  their  parchments  in  the  market-place  in  the 
hope  that  they  might  attract  the  attention  of  some  wandering 
Jew  who  would  be  able  to  restore  to  them  the  language  of 
their  fathers.  Since  the  cessation  of  their  ritual  worship  their 
children  all  grow  up  without  the  seal  of  the  covenant.  The 
young  generations  are  uncircumcised,  and,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, they  no  longer  take  pains  to  keep  their  blood  pure 
from  intermixture  with  Gentiles.  One  of  them  confessed  to 
me  that  his  wife  was  a  heathen.  They  remember  the  names 
of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread, 
and  a  few  other  ceremonial  rites  that  were  practised  by  a  former 
generation  ;  but  all  such  usages  are  now  neglected,  and  the 
next  half-century  is  not  unlikely  to  terminate  their  existence  as 
a  distinct  people. 

Near  the  margin  of  the  Poyang  Lake  there  stands  a  lofty 
rock  so  peculiar  and  solitary  that  it  is  known  by  the  name  of 
the  "Little  Orphan."  The  adjacent  shore  is  low  and  level, 
and  its  kindred  rocks  are  all  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake, 
whence  it  seems  to  have  been  torn  away  by  some  violent  con- 
vulsion and  i)]anted  immovably  in  the  bosom  of  the  waters. 
Such  to  me  appeared  that  fragment  of  the  Lsraelitish  nation. 
A  rock  rent  from  the  side  of  Mount  Zion  by  some  great 
national  catastrophe  and  projected  into  the  central  plain  of 
China,  it  has  stood  there,  while  the  centuries  rolled  by,  sublime 
in  its  antiquity  and  solitude.  It  is  now  on  the  verge  of  being 
swallowed  ])y  the  flood  of  paganism,  and  the  spectacle  is  a 
mournful  one.  The  Jews  themselves  are  deeplv  conscious  of 
their  sad  situation,  and  the  shadow  of  an  iiic\-itable  destiny 
seems  to  be  resting  upon  tliein.  Poor,  unhappv  jjcople!  As 
they  incjuired  about  the  destruction  of  tlie  Ilolv  City  and  the 
dispersion  of  their  tribes,  and  referred  to  their  own  decaying 


VISIT   TO  A    COLONY  OF  JEWS 


279 


condition,  I  endeavored  to  comfort  them  by  pointing  to  Him 
wlio  is  the  consolation  of  Israel.  I  told  them  the  straw  had 
not  been  trodden  underfoot  until  the  ripe  grain  had  been 
gathered  to  disseminate  in  other  fields.  The  dikes  had  not 
been  broken  down  until  the  time  came  for  pouring  the  fertiliz- 
ing waters  over  the  face  of  the  earth.  Christian  civilization, 
with  all  its  grand  results,  had  sprung  from  a  Jewish  root,  and 
the  promise  to  Abraham  was  fulfilled  that  "  in  his  seed  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed."  * 

*  Three  years  after  the  date  of  this  visit  I  addressed  a  letter  to  the  ed- 
itor of  the  "Jewish  Times,"  of  Xew  York,  embodying  the  observations 
here  given,  and  proposing  the  formation  of  a  Jewish  mission.  The  appeal 
excited  some  discussion  among  the  Jews,  but  produced  no  further  result 
— if  I  except  sundry  letters  in  Hebrew,  which  I  was  requested  to  forward 
to  a  people  who  had  forgotten  the  language  of  their  fathers.  In  my  letter 
to  the  "  Jewish  Times  "  I  said,  and  now  repeat,  that  "  the  rel)uilding  of 
tlie  synagogue  is  indispensable  to  give  this  moribund  colony  a  bond  of 
union";  and  that,  "  without  tliis,  nothing  can  save  it  from  extinction." 


A  snuivi; 


CHAPTER  V 

PILGRIMAGE    TO    THE    TOMD    OF    CONFUCIUS 

The  Yellow  River;  its  new  course;  perioilic  changes — Temple  and  sepul- 
cher — Outline  of  Confucianism  — The  state  religion— The  three  creeds 
blended — The  Grand  Canal 

FROM  Kai-fung-fu  I  proceeded  in  a  northeasterly  direc- 
tion as  far  as  Kiu-fu,  the  IMecca  of  the  empire,  wliich  I 
reached  after  a  circuitous  journey  of  eight  days,  in  which  I 
twice  crossed  the  Yellow  River,  my  route  following  the  course 
of  ita  new  bed. 

The  sepulcher  of  wisdom  will  detain  us  with  the  hoary  past, 
the  fierce  and  turbid  stream  carries  our  thoughts  irresistibly  to 
the  future.  Spurning  the  feeble  efforts  of  the  natives,  it  waits 
to  be  subdued  by  the  science  of  Western  engineers ;  and,  too 
rapid  for  the  creeping  junk,  it  has  rushed  into  the  sea  at  a 
more  accessible  point  than  its  ancient  mouth,  as  if  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  inviting  steam  navigation.  When  I  first  saw 
it  I  felt  disappointed.  The  huge  embankment,  crenelated  like 
the  wall  of  a  fortress,  winding  through  the  plain  as  the  Great 
Wall  winds  over  the  mountains  of  the  North  —  almost  as  great 
a  monument  of  industry  and  vastly  more  exjjensive  —  excited 
my  expectations.  Ikit  tlie  river  itself  lay  hidden  between  its 
banks,  waiting  for  die  melting  of  the  winter  snows  to  call  it 
forth.  F^jual  in  length  to  tlie  Yang-tsc-Kiang,  it  could  not  at 
that  season  l:)oast  one  twentieth  of  its  volume  of  water.  The 
diagonal  course  pursued  by  the  ferry-I)()at  at  Kai-fimg-fu,  as 
it  is  swe])t  down  by  tlie  current,  is  estimated  in  the  Chinese 
guide-book  at  no  more  than  two  thirds  of  a  mile;  the  actual 

280 


PILGRIMAGE    TO    THE    TOMB    OE  COXEUCIUS      281 

width  opposite  the  ferry  landing  is  less  than  half  that  distance. 
The  greatest  depth  at  the  then  low  stage  of  water  did  not  ex- 
ceed six  or  seven  feet,  so  that  ferrymen  were  able  to  use  their 
poles  all  the  way  from  one  bank  to  the  other.  The  Peiho 
below  Tientsin  makes  quite  as  respectable  a  figure.  I  could 
hardly  have  realized  that  I  was  viewing  one  of  the  chief  rivers 
of  the  East,  but  for  the  enormous  embankments,  which  are  so 
wide  apart  as  to  make  allowance  for  an  expansion  of  seven 
miles.  At  the  point  where  I  crossed  it  in  Shantung  it  had 
gained  considerably  both  in  breadth  and  depth,  and  thence  to 
the  sea  it  is  no  doubt  much  better  adapted  for  navigation  by 
large  vessels,  though  its  mouth  will  require  to  be  kept  open  by 
dredging,  or  by  the  automatic  method  which  Captain  Eads 
employed  to  muzzle  the  Mississippi. 

In  this  part  of  the  river's  course  the  number  of  junks  is 
greatly  increased,  though  in  Honan  there  appeared  to  be  little 
communication  between  distant  points.  Numerous  boats 
were  carrying  coal  to  Funghien,  not  far  from  the  provincial 
capital,  but  I  was  unable  to  discover  one  that  was  bound  for 
a  more  distant  port.  I  was  resolved,  if  I  could  obtain  any 
kind  of  craft,  to  commit  myself  to  the  current  and  explore  the 
river  through  its  new  channel ;  but  my  efforts  were  in  vain. 
No  boat  was  lying  at  the  crossing,  except  those  that  belonged 
to  the  ferry ;  and  I  was  informed  that  all  the  intercourse  be- 
tween the  capitals  of  Honan  and  Shantung,  distant  three  hun- 
dred miles  and  both  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  is  car- 
ried on  by  land.  Of  the  truth  of  this  statement  I  had  ocular 
evidence  in  the  large  number  of  carts  and  wheelbarrows  which 
we  met  on  the  way,  a  whole  fleet  of  the  latter,  with  sails  spread, 
scudding  before  the  wind,  reminding  us  of  what  Milton  says 
of  the 

"  liarren  plains 
Of  Sericana,  where  Cliineses  drive, 
With  wind  and  sails,  their  cany  wagons  light." 


282  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

This  deficiency  of  junk  navigation  is  to  be  ascribed  only  in 
part  to  the  rapidity  of  the  current,  which  makes  the  downward 
trip  dangerous  and  the  return  voyage  next  to  impossible. 
The  best  explanation  is  no  doubt  to  be  found  in  the  unsettled 
state  of  the  country,  the  banks  of  the  river  being  until  recently 
infested  by  ferocious  hordes  of  banditti.  From  a  geographical 
point  of  view  the  exploration  of  the  Yellow  River  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  problems  of  the  age. 

It  is  not  perhaps  generally  known  that  in  the  immense  de- 
parture from  its  late  channel,  which  excites  the  astonishment  of 
the  age,  the  Yellow  River  is  returning  to  a  long-forsaken  path- 
way. Its  vagaries  are  minutely  traced  in  the  Yu-Kung  Chiie- 
Chi,  a  hydrographical  work,  from  which  we  learn  the  curious 
fact  that  the  river  divided  its  waters  between  the  two  principal 
channels  for  one  hundred  and  forty-six  years,  and  that  it  w^as 
not  till  the  reign  of  the  Mongols,  six  hundred  years  ago,  that 
it  became  settled  in  its  southern  bed.  The  author  concludes 
with  the  expression  of  an  earnest  desire  that  the  troublesome 
stream,  which  bears  the  name  of  "  China's  sorrow-,"  may  be 
induced  to  return  to  its  northern  course.  After  the  lapse  of 
two  centuries  his  wish  has  been  gratified.  AVilh  this  opinion 
the  Chinese  government  appears  to  concur;  for,  the  river 
having  burst  its  southern  embankments  in  1889  and  rushed 
away  toward  the  Yang-tse-Kiang,  the  gap  was  closed  at  im- 
mense expense  and  the  wanderer  ]:)rought  back  to  the  northern 
channel,  in  which  it  had  flowed  since  1852. 

Situated  in  a  fertile  plain,  with  a  range  of  hills  in  sliape  like 
an  arc  of  an  ellipse,  to  bring  the  fipigs/iia  influence  to  a 
focus,  Kiu-fu,  the  goal  of  my  pilgrimage,  is  deemed  ec[ually 
favorable  for  the  birth  or  the  burial  of  great  men.  Trade  it 
has  none.  It  prefers  to  live  on  the  emoluments  which  a 
grateful  nation  has  thought  fit  to  confer  on  the  greatest  of  its 
benefactors.     A  lineal   descendant  of  the   Sage  has  here  his 


PII.GRLMAGE    TO    THE    TOMB    OF   COXFUCIL'S      283 

palace,  witli  the  title  of  duke  and  ample  domains.  Twelve  of 
the  nearer  branches  of  the  family  and  sixty  of  the  more  remote 
have  likewise  been  provided  for  by  imperial  bounty.  It  is 
here  that  the  remains  of  Confucius  have  slept  for  three  and 
twenty  centuries,  while  his  doctrines  have  swayed  the  mind  of 
the  nation  with  undiminished  authority,  and  his  memory  con- 
tinues as  green  as  the  cypresses  that  shade  his  sepulcher. 

The  city  is  in  the  form  of  a  rectangle,  a  mile  in  length  by 
half  a  mile  in  breadth.  One  end  of  the  inclosure  is  occupied 
by  the  temple  of  Confucius.  The  tomb,  which  is  outside  of 
the  city,  is  connected  with  it  by  an  avenue  of  stately  cedars. 
This  avenue  bears  the  name  of  Shen  Tao  (the  "  Spirit  Road  "), 
meaning  that  the  spirit  of  the  holy  man,  when  invoked  with 
proper  rites,  passes  through  these  trees  back  and  forth  between 
tomb  and  temple.  He  has  a  temple  in  every  city  of  the  em- 
pire, and  his  effigy  is  adored  in  every  school-room  in  the  land. 
His  worship  is  accordingly  not  localized;  hence  little  zeal  is 
shown  to  make  the  pilgrimage  to  this  holy  city.  Yet  tomb 
and  temple  are  both  on  such  a  scale  of  magnificence  as  to  be 
worthy  of  an  empire  whose  most  sacred  traditions  are  here 
embodied.  The  temple  is  a  vestibule  to  the  tomb,  and  we 
shall  visit  that  first. 

On  the  last  day  of  February,  just  as  the  sun  was  rising,  I 
presented  myself  at  the  great  gate ;  but  as  the  porters  saw  me 
approaching  they  closed  it  in  my  face.  That  meant  nothing 
more  than  a  demand  to  be  paid  for  opening  it.  A  red  card 
thrust  through  a  crevice,  with  a  promise  of  cuiiisliaw  ("  gold- 
dust  "),  proved  efTectual,  and  the  great  shrine  stood  open  be- 
fore me.  The  moon  being  at  the  full,  a  company  of  young 
men  in  rich  attire  were  paving  their  devotions  to  the  spirit  of 
their  illustrious  ancestor.  I  was  politely  requested  to  amuse 
myself  in  some  of  the  adjoining  courts  until  the  service  should 
be  completed.    It  was  not  long,  chiefly  consisting  of  the  Koto, 


284  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

or  Nine  Prostrations,  accompanied  by  a  repetition  of  the  titles 
of  the  Sage,  in  form  something  like  a  hymn  of  praise : 

"  Confucius!  Confucius!     How  great  is  Confucius!" 

In  the  meantime  I  entered  a  spacious  court,  paved  with 
stone  and  studded  with  sculptured /<7/-/6'7t'i-,  or  honorary  gate- 
ways, that  lead  nowhere.  From  this  I  passed  into  another  of 
equal  extent,  which  had  a  little  canal  meandering  through  it, 
excavated  for  the  sole  purpose  of  giving  occasion  for  a  dozen 
or  more  beautiful  bridges  of  shining  marble.  A  third  court 
contained  a  solemn  grove  of  funereal  cyi)ress,  some  of  the 
trees  being  of  enormous  size,  and  their  deep  shade  profoundly 
impressive.  One  of  them,  if,  as  alleged,  it  was  planted  by  the 
Sage  himself,  is  more  than  two  thousand  years  old.  Beyond 
these,  in  another  court,  stood  a  forest  of  granite  columns,  range 
on  range,  each  covered  with  laudatory  inscriptions  and  shel- 
tered by  a  pretty  pavilion.  P'ach  column  had  l)een  erected 
by  a  sovereign  of  the  empire ;  some  of  them,  dating  as  far 
back  as  the  dynasties  of  Han,  Tsin,  and  Wei  (from  fifteen  to 
twenty  centuries),  were  so  defaced  by  time  as  to  be  illegible. 
The  habit  of  taking  printed  copies  from  the  stone  had  helped 
to  obliterate  the  inscriptions.  Some  of  later  dvnasties  were 
more  distinct.  One  by  the  Emperor  Cheng  Hua,  1465  a.d., 
particularly  attracted  my  attention.  It  stvled  Confucius  the 
"  Heart  of  Heaven,  witliout  whom  we  should  have  been 
wrapped  in  one  unbroken  niglit." 

The  library  was  a  wooden  tower,  four  or  five  stories  in 
height,  in  the  finest  stvlc  of  Cliinese  arcliiterture.  Instead, 
however,  of  being  filled  witli  books  it  is  tenaiUed  by  innumer- 
al)le  pigeons.  If  it  ever  contained  books,  tlicre  is  now  no 
trace  of  them.  The  central  shrine,  where  I  had  seen  the 
descendants  of  the  Sage  at  their  devotions,  resembles  the  Con- 
fucian temple  at  Peking,  but  is  vaster  in  its  jiroportions.  Pike 
all  of  its  kind,  it  consists  of  a  long  hall,  rising  in  one  story  to 


riLGKIMAGE    TO    THE    TOMB    OF   COXFUCIUS      285 

a  great  lieight.  In  this,  however,  the  front  j)illars  are  of  stone 
instead  of  wood ;  and  a  more  important  difference  is  the  fact 
that  here  the  Sage  and  his  principal  disciples  are  represented 
l)y  statues  of  stone,  while  elsewhere  they  have  only  tablets  in- 
scribed with  their  names.  The  statues  are  not  the  work  of  a 
Phidias,  and  the  simple  tablets,  which  even  here  are  the  chief 
objects  of  adoration,  are  far  more  impressive.  The  tablet  of 
Confucius  bears  on  it  the  inscription,  "  The  seat  of  the  spirit 
of  the  most  holy  ancient  sage,  Confucius."  Numerous  inscrip- 
tions on  gilded  tablets,  some  fixed  in  the  vaulted  roof,  others 
pendent  from  the  ceiling,  set  forth  the  Sage's  virtues  in  phrases 
like  the  following : 

"  Tlie  model  teacher  of  all  ages." 

"  With  heaven  and  earth,  he  forms  a  trinity." 

"  His  virtue  is  equal  to  that  of  heaven  and  earth." 

"  He  exhausted  the  possibilities  of  nature." 

"  Of  all  the  sages,  he  was  the  grand  consummation." 

"  His  holy  soul  was  sent  down  from  heaven." 

The  tablets  of  seventy-two  out  of  his  three  thousand  disci- 
ples who  became  conspicuous  for  wisdom  and  virtue  are 
ranged  on  either  hand,  each  in  a  separate  shrine ;  while  in 
niches  around  the  walls  are  to  be  seen  the  tablets  of  some  of 
his  eminent  followers  of  later  times,  all  participating  in  the 
cloud  of  incense  offered  to  the  great  master.  Attached  to  this 
building  are  several  others,  though  less  conspicuous,  one  of 
which  is  devoted  to  the  memory  of  the  father  of  Confucius,  of 
whom  there  was  nothing  to  be  remembered  except  that  he  died 
too  early  to  influence  the  character  of  his  famous  son.  A  shrine 
to  the  "  Holy  Mother  "  pavs  deserved  honor  to  the  woman  who 
trained  and  taught  China's  teacher.  His  ancestors  for  five 
generations  have  places  of  honor,  and  wear  tlie  posthumous 
title  of  prince,  though  in  life  they  were  poor  and  unknown. 

The  most  curious  of  these  collateral  shrines  is  one  to  the 
"  Holy  Lady,  the  wife  of  the  Sage."     As  she  was  divorced,  it 


286  .1    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

suggests  the  dilemma  that  if  put  away  for  cause  she  does  not 
deserve  a  shrine ;  if  without  cause  the  Sage  was  not  worthy  of 
his.  A  well  where  the  Sage  is  said  to  have  drawn  water,  and 
a  hall  filled  with  portraits  on  stone  of  himself  and  his  disciples, 
were  the  last  objects  of  interest  that  I  had  time  to  inspect. 

On  my  way  to  the  city  gate  I  noticed  a  gilded  inscription  on 
a  marble  arch  at  the  entrance  of  a  street,  informing  the  passer- 
by that  "this  is  Povertv  Lane,  where  Yen  Hui,  the  favorite  dis- 
ciple, formerly  dwelt."  He  died  voung,  but  left  behind  him  an 
invaluable  example  of  love  of  study  and  contempt  for  luxury. 
Beyond  the  gate,  pursuing  for  lialf  a  mile  the  graceful  curves  of 
the  "Spirit  Road,"  I  came  to  a  column  marking  a  limit,  where 
riders  are  recjuired  to  dismount  and  proceed  on  foot  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Campo  Santo.  The  wall  of  the  holy  ground 
incloses  a  space  of  about  ten  acres,  shaded  by  great  trees  and 
filled  with  tombs  of  the  Sage's  descendants,  excepting  an  area 
of  two  or  three  acres  on  the  side  facing  the  city,  which  is  occu- 
pied by  a  mound  so  large  that  it  might  be  described  as  a  hill. 
This  is  the  Sage's  tomb.  The  earth  of  which  it  is  formed  is  a 
more  enduring  monument  than  brick  or  stone,  and  a  few  spade- 
fuls are  added  every  year,  so  that,  with  the  flight  of  time,  the 
hillock  may  yet  become  a  mountain.  A  paved  court  and  a 
granite  column  comprise  all  tliat  art  lias  done  in  the  way  of 
embellishment.  On  one  side  an  old  tree  leaning  on  crutches 
informs  yoti  that  it  was  planted  l)y  the  liand  of  Tze-kung,  one 
of  the  most  eminent  in  tlie  iimer  circle  of  the  Sage's  school ; 
and  near  it  a  tablet  marks  the  site  of  a  lodge  in  which  this  de- 
voted disciple  passed  six  vears  watcliing  bv  the  grave  of  his 
master.  The  \-erv  grass  tliat  grows  within  this  inclosure  is 
sacred,  endowed  with  |)owers  of  divination  miudi  bevond  wliat 
we  attribute  to  witcli-li;i/el.  It  gives  rise  to  a  l)risk  trade,  which 
I  encouraged  bv  bn\ii!g  a  bundle  of  stalks,  in  iunnl)er  se\'en 
times  se\'en  ;  not  tliat  I  cared  to  learn  from  them  the  seirets  of 
futurity,  but  to  prove  that  I  had  won  the  honors  of  a  hadji. 


PILGRIMAGE    TO    THE    TOMB    OE  COXEC'C/[\S      287 


Tliough  he  iias  a  temple  in  every  city,  Confucius  is  not  dei- 
fied ;  lie  is  never  invoked  in  the  character  of  a  tutelar  divinity. 
'J"he  homage  paid  him  is  purely  commemorative.  It  is  not, 
therefore,  a  direct  obstacle  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Christian 
faith.  AVhile  teeth,  toe-nails,  and  hairs  of  Buddha  are  distrib- 
uted over  half  of  Asia,  there  are  no  such  fragments  of  Confu- 
cius. Near  Suchau  is  to  be  seen  a  monument  marking  a  spot 
where  his  hat  and  boots 
were  buried  —  as  thelnick- 
skin  trousers  of  General 
A\'ashington  are  preserved 
in  our  national  museum. 

It  is  remarkable  that 
Confucius,  Buddha,  and 
Laotse  all  flourished  in 
the  sixth  century  B.C. 
Confucius,  after  a  brief 
experience  in  official  life, 
devoted  himself  to  the 
work  of  education,  con- 
scious of  a  heaven-appointed  mission,  and  feeling  that  in 
that  way  he  could  best  shape  the  destinies  of  coming  ages. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  se^■enty-three,  in  479  B.C.  Among  the 
sages  of  the  pagan  world  he  comes  nearest  to  Christ  in  vir- 
tue and  influence.  His  popularity  in  the  West  is  due  in  some 
degree  to  the  Roman  toga,  under  which  he  was  introduced  by 
Jesuit  missionaries.  The  same  is  true  of  Mencius,  the  second 
Sage,  as  he  is  called.  Their  Chinese  names,  Kuiigfufse  and 
Mit/igfse,  are  too  jagged  to  enter  the  Occidental  ear.  Confucius 
was  not  an  originator :  he  was  a  reformer,  selecting  from  past  and 
present  whatever  he  deemed  worthy  of  preservation.  "  I  am 
not  an  author,  but  an  editor,"  he  said  of  himself.  In  this  way, 
without  assuming  the  role  of  prophet,  he  gave  to  China  a  cult 
that  reaches  all  classes,  and  a  code  of  morals  which,  however 


CONl-UCU'S    GIVING    A    LECTIKE. 


2  88  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

deficient  in  depth  and  power,  still  serves  as  a  bond  of  social 
order.  His  attitude  toward  religion  has  been  misunderstood. 
He  was  not  an  agnostic  in  the  modern  sense.  Superior  to  the 
superstitions  of  the  vulgar,  he  taught  his  disciples  to  "  respect 
the  gods,  but  not  to  go  near  them."  Yet  few  men  have  ever 
been  more  penetrated  with  reverence  for  the  Supreme  Power  of 
the  universe,  whom,  to  avoid  irreverence,  he  calls  by  the  vague 
designation  of  Heaven.  His  conception  is  not  wanting  in  per- 
sonality, for  he  ascribes  to  Heaven  the  attributes  of  moral  gov- 
ernment and  providence.  Once,  when  in  great  peril,  he  allayed 
the  fears  of  his  followers  by  declaring,  with  sublime  confidence, 
that  "  if  Heaven  had  decreed  that  the  world  was  not  to  lose  the 
benefits  of  his  doctrine,  his  enemies  could  do  nothing  against 
him."  He  admits  prayer  in  more  than  one  passage.  When  he 
was  sick,  his  disciples  proposing  to  pray  for  him,  he  replied, 
"  I  have  long  prayed,"  an  expression  which  his  commentators 
make  to  mean  that  he  never  prayed  at  all.  To  him  it  is  due 
that  the  worship  of  Heaven  still  survives,  for  which  the  emperor 
officiates  as  high  priest. 

Questioned  as  to  a  future  life,  he  declined  to  dogmatize  or- 
speculate.  "We  know  not  life;  how  can  we  know  death?" 
was  his  cautious  answer.  Yet  he  enjoined  the  worship  of  an- 
cestors, a  cult  which  has  done  more  than  any  abstract  teach- 
ing to  cherish  a  belief  in  the  survival  of  the  soul.  His  agnos- 
ticism was  essentially  different  from  that  combative  type  which 
seeks  to  destroy  faith  in  supersensible  existence.  Confucius 
was  above  all  a  teacher  of  morals.  So  consonant  is  his  sys- 
tem with  that  of  Christianity  that  the  golden  rule,  in  a  nega- 
tive form,  is  its  first  law,  and  charity  and  huniilitv  among  its 
leading  virtues.  He  was  not  a  Christ,  but  a  Moses.  The  chief 
defect  of  Confucianism  is  one  that  is  inherent  in  the  "  law," 
which,  thougli  "  holy,  righteous,  and  good,"  is  yet "  weak  through 
the  flesh."  It  is  lacking  in  spiritual  life;  and,  while  now  and 
then  an  indi\idual  may  be  met  with  who  is  striving  to  live  up 


PILGRIM  AGE    TO    THE    TOMB   OF  COXFUCIi'S      289 

to  its  precepts,  it  is  no  libel  to  say  of  the  bulk  of  its  noisiest 
professors,  i.e.,  of  the  whole  body  of  so-called  literati,  that  they 
are  steeped  in  formalism  and  hypocrisy. 

The  state  religion  is  not  Confucianism,  though  founded  on  it. 
To  the  worship  of  Heaven  it  adds  the  worship  of  nature  in  its 
chief  material  forms,  such  as  the  earth,  sun,  moon,  and  stars, 
mountains  and  rivers.  To  the  cultus  of  ancestors  it  not  only  adds 
that  of  heroes,  but  expands  itself  so  as  to  take  in  many  of  the 
divinities  of  Taoism  and  Buddhism,  thus  forming  a  compound  of 
the  three  religions.  Logically  the  three  are  irreconcilable,  the 
Taoist  being  materialism,  the  Buddhist  idealism,  and  the  Con- 
fucian essentially  ethical.  Yet  the  people,  like  the  state,  make  of 
them  a  unity  by  swallowing  portions  of  each.  In  ordinary  their 
lives  are  regulated  by  Confucian  forms,  in  sickness  they  call  in 
Taoist  priests  to  exorcise  evil  spirits,  and  at  funerals  they  have 
Buddhist  priests  to  say  masses  for  the  repose  of  the  soul.  Be- 
sides the  women  and  the  priesthood  tlie  two  sects  last  named 
have  very  few  professed  adherents,  though  the  whole  nation 
is  more  or  less  tinged  by  them.  The  meii  (at  least  those  who 
can  read)  almost  without  exception  profess  to  be  followers  of 
Confucius. 

In  the  heterogeneous  compound  that  forms  the  religion 
of  the  people  a  large  element  is  the  worship  of  brute  animals, 
or  rather  of  their  spiritual  types,  as  with  the  North  American 
Indians.  The  most  popular  shrines  in  Peking  are  those  of 
the  fox.  Whether  snake,  hedgehog,  or  weasel  comes  next  in 
favor  it  mav  not  be  easy  to  decide.  This  animal-worship  is 
an  excrescence  of  Taoism,  and  its  existence  proves  the  feeble- 
ness of  the  other  creeds. 

Is  it  possible  that  they  should  be  otherwise  than  feeble,  when 
all  they  require  is  conformitv  to  a  lifeless  ritual  ?  Preaching  is 
not  unknown,  but  as  a  jn-actice  it  is  non-existent.  That  which 
most  resembles  it  is  an  exposition  of  the  maxims  of  Kanghi, 
which  the  government  instituted  earlv  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 


2gO  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

tury  in  imitation  of  and  in  opposition  to  the  preaching  of 
Christianity.  Originally  semi-monthly,  the  observance  is  now 
moribund,  so  that  lectures  are  seldom  given,  and  they  have 
ceased  to  attract  attention.  Contrast  with  this  a  state  of  so- 
ciety in  which  the  bulk  of  the  people  go  to  church  from  week 
to  week  to  be  instructed  and  encouraged  in  the  duties  of  re- 
ligion and  morality,  and  you  have  in  large  measure  the 
secret  of  the  difference  in  moral  tone  between  Christendom 
and  China.  The  electric  fluid  pervades  all  nature ;  but  was  it 
not  in  Christendom  that  it  came  forth  like  the  flames  of  Pen- 
tecost to  create  a  new  era  and  to  supply  a  new  source  of  light 
and  power?  Its  energy  is  no  longer  restricted  to  the  land  of 
its  birth,  nor  is  the  renovating  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  in  due  time  may  be  expected  to  put  new  life  into  the 
dry  bones  of  the  old  systems  of  China. 

From  Kiu-fu  to  the  old  bed  of  the  Yellow  River  it  was  my 
intention  to  proceed  by  land  ;  but  my  cart-driver,  taking  alarm 
at  rumors  of  rebels,  refused  to  go  farther,  and  I  was  compelled 
to  seek  for  some  other  mode  of  prosecuting  my  journey.  The 
canal  was  suggested,  and  I  made  my  way  in  that  direction 
slowly,  painfully  toiling  on,  now  on  foot,  now  on  a  wheelbar- 
row, anon  mounted  on  one  of  the  imperial  post-horses  or  seated 
in  a  mandarin's  carriage.  At  length  ascending  a  hill,  I  beheld 
the  Weishan  Lake  spreading  its  silvery  expanse  at  my  feet. 
Embosoming  an  archipelago  of  green  islands  and  stretching  far 
away  among  the  hills,  to  my  eye  the  scene  was  too  pleasing  to 
be  real.  I  distrusted  my  senses  and  thought  it  a  mirage,  such 
as  often  before  had  mocked  my  hopes  with  the  apparition  of 
lake  and  stream.  When  my  guide  assured  me  that  it  was  no 
decej)tive  show  I  gave  way  to  transports  not  unlike  those  of 
the  Greeks  when,  escaping  from  the  heart  of  Persia,  they 
caught  a  distant  view  of  the  waters  of  the  Kuxint.^  and  shouted, 
"  Tlialassa!  Tlialassa!  " 

Taking  passage  at  the  focH  of  the  lake,  I  glided  gently  down 


PILGRIMAGE    TO    TIIK    TOMB    OF   COXIiCIL'S     2yi 

with  the  current  and  reached  Chinkiangfu,  a  distance  of  three 
liundred  miles,  in  less  than  a  week.  For  comfort  commend 
me  to  a  Chinese  canal-boat,  with  no  passengers  and  no  noise. 
If  you  are  not  pressed  for  time  you  have  no  reason  to  sigh  for 
smoky  steamer  or  rattling  railway.  Through  this  portion  of  its 
course  the  canal  deserves  the  appellation  of  "  Grand."  For 
the  lirst  half,  extending  to  the  old  bed,  it  varies  from  eighty  to 
two  hundred  feet  in  width.  Seething  and  foaming  as  it  rushes 
from  the  lake,  and  rolling  on  with  a  strong  current,  it  has  the 
aspect  of  a  river.  Near  this  point  it  parts  with  enough  of  its 
water  to  form  a  navigable  stream,  which  enters  the  sea  at  Hai- 
chau.  Beyond  the  old  bed  of  the  Yellow  River  its  waters  are 
drawn  off  by  imiumerable  sluices  to  irrigate  the  rice-grounds, 
until  it  is  reduced  to  about  forty  feet  in  breadth  and  four  in 
depth.  Recruited,  however,  by  a  timely  supply  from  the 
Kauyu  Lake,  it  recovers  much  of  its  former  strength,  and 
flows  on  to  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  with  a  velocity  that  makes  toil- 
some work  for  trackers. 

To  what  extent  the  canal  may  be  practical)le  for  steam  navi- 
gation is  a  question  not  without  interest.  My  mind  had  been 
occupied  with  it  for  some  days,  when  I  happily  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  it  subjected  to  the  test  of  experiment.  Just  off 
the  city  of  Kauyu,  where  the  canal  reaches  its  minimum  depth, 
I  met  a  tugboat  from  Shanghai  towing  a  flotilla  of  war-junks. 
The  tug  would  be  able  to  reach  the  city  of  Tsingkiangpu,  but 
not  to  go  beyond  it  on  account  of  the  locks,  or  water-gates, 
some  of  which  are  only  twelve  feet  in  width.  As  the  canal  now 
is,  propellers  of  three  feet  draft  and  ten  feet  beam,  making 
up  in  length  what  they  lack  in  other  dimensions,  might  drive 
a  profital)le  trade  between  Chinkiang  and  Tsiningchau,  a  dis- 
tance of  four  hundred  miles  ;  but  the  utility  of  the  canal  would 
be  greatlv  enlianced  bv  adding  a  hx'k  or  two  in  the  sliallower 
portions  and  increasing  the  breadth  of  those  that  now  exist  so 
as  to  admit  th.e  passage  of  larger  vessels.     A  little  engineering 


292 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


at  its  point  of  intersection  with  the  new  course  of  the  Yellow 
River  would  supply  an  abundance  of  water  to  a  portion  that  is 
frequently  dry,  making  its  facilities  for  junk  navigation  equal 
to  those  of  its  best  days.  It  would  then  be  possible  for  small 
steamers  to  make  inland  voyages  from  Shanghai  nearly  to  the 
gates  of  Peking. 

Apart  from  any  question  of  steam,  the  canal  deserves  to  be 
kept  in  repair,  as  an  alternative  route  for  the  supply  of  the 
capital  in  case  of  war.  Through  a  vast  network  of  rivers  and 
canals  it  opens  a  waterway  to  all  the  great  cities  of  central  and 
southern  China.  Extending  from  Peking  to  Hangchau,  over 
seven  hundred  miles,  it  is  in  its  wav  as  unique  as  the  Great 
Wall.  The  comj)letion  of  the  work,  if  not  its  inception,  is  the 
chief  glory  of  the  Mongol  house  of  Kublai  Khan,  which  reigned 
six  hundred  years  ago. 


COLOSSAL    I^^\OKS  —  MI.NO     I 


(hEli    TAGIC    249.) 


Dr.   Maktin,  First  President  of  the  Tungwin  College. 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE   TUNGWEN   COLLEGE 


Made  president — Scliool  of  Interpreters — Attempt  to  introduce  the  tele- 
grapli  —  C)p[K^sition  to  improvements  —  Ill-starred  professors — An  ec- 
centric German 

THE  founding  of  a  state  is  a  commonplace  event,  but  not 
if  the  scene  be  tlie  banks  of  the  Congo.  So  the  history 
of  a  college  may  not  be  devoid  of  interest  when  located  in  the 
capital  of  China.  In  lieu  of  scholastic  details,  we  shall  have 
side-lights  on  Chinese  life — young  students  and  old  students, 
professors  and  officials,  passing  in  review. 

Arriving  after  my  furlough  in  September,  i86g,  I  called  on 
Mr.  Hart  to  learn  the  state  of  the  college.  "  It  is,"  he  said, 
"  still  in  existence,"  adding  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
place  me  at  the  head  of  it,  and  to  hand  over  to  me  a  lump  sum 
annually  from  the  customs  revenue  to  keep  it  running.  "  I 
will  not  decline  to  trim  the  lamps,"  I  replied,  "  but  it  must  be 
on  condition  that  you  supply  the  oil,"  meaning  that  I  would 
accept  the  presidencv,  but  not  the  charge  of  the  finances.  The 
latter,  at  my  insistence,  he  consented  to  retain  in  his  own 
hands,  and  for  twenty-five  years  from  that  date  he  discharged 
his  part  of  the  compact  with  noble  fidelity.  How  I  acquitted 
myself  of  mine  will  appear  in  the  sequel.  Of  the  college, 
properly  so  called,  he  is  the  father,  I  a  dry-nurse — leoiuim 
arida  niifrix,  I  should  call  myself  if  the  Chinese  had  made  a 
better  show  in  the  late  war.  On  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Hart 
I  was  appointed  president,  the  Chinese  ministers  asserting  in 

293 


294  A    CYCLE    OP  CAT// AY 

tlieir  despatch  that  he  had  but  given  expression  to  a  purpose 
which  they  had  already  formed.  Before  sending  this  despatch 
they  subjected  me  to  an  informal  examination  as  to  my  know- 
ledge of  mathematics,  handing  me  a  paper  of  questions.  Who 
prepared  the  questions,  who  read  my  answers,  I  never  knew ; 
but  my  solutions  must  have  been  accepted  as  satisfactory  evi- 
dence of  fitness  to  preside  over  a  scientific  school. 

On  November  26,  1869,  I  was  inducted  into  ofiice,  in  pres- 
ence of  several  members  of  the  Tsungli  Yamen  and  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liams, the  United  States  charge  (Vaffaurs.  Mr.  Hart  was  not 
present,  but  sent  a  cordial  note  of  congratulation,  in  which  he 
drew  an  augury  from  the  clouds  that  were  breaking  away.  The 
students,  about  forty  in  number,  were  presented  in  classes  by 
the  proctor.  Pin,  commissioner  to  Europe,  and  performed  the 
salaam  of  allegiance,  making  a  pleasant  spectacle  in  their  long 
robes  and  tasseled  hats  of  ceremony.  My  inaugural  discourse 
was  in  Chinese,  and  one  of  my  illustrations  so  tickled  the  fancy 
of  the  grand  secretary,  Pao,  somewhat  renowned  as  a  poet,  that 
he  turned  it  into  verse,  which  he  wrote  on  a  pair  of  beautiful 
scrolls  and  presented  to  me  as  a  souvenir  of  the  occasion. 

]\Ir.  Hart  had  known  me  in  Xingpo.  He  had  also  observed 
my  half-abortive  attempt  to  build  up  a  mission  school,  in  ref- 
erence to  which  he  had  said  to  me,  "  If  any  man  could  make  it 
succeed  you  can."  In  regard  to  this  enterprise  he  probably 
entertained  the  same  doubt  accompanied  bv  tlie  same  confi- 
dence. One  grouiid  of  his  confidence  was  the  favor  with  wliich 
I  had  always  been  regarded  by  the  Chinese  authorities.  Tliree 
of  tlie  ministers  I  had  known  liefore  coming  to  Peking.  A\'ith 
the  others,  including  Prince  Kung,  I  had  become  well  ac- 
fjuainted  through  frequent  interviews.  In  his  treatment  of 
inc,  the  prince  was  uncommonly  gracious,  always  taking  both 
my  hands  in  his,  after  the  cordial  manner  of  the  l^irtars,  in 
marked  contrast  with  the  frigid  salute  of  the  Chinese,  which 
even  between  intimate  friends  consists  in  each  .shakincr  his  own 


THE    TUNG  WEN   COLLEGE  295 

liands  at  a  respectful  distance.  Impressed  by  my  acquaintance 
with  native  autliors,  Chinese  scholarship  being  more  rare  among 
foreigners  than  it  is  at  present,  he  conferred  on  me  the  title  of 
Qi/a/isi — a  high-flown  literary  appellation,  by  which  I  have 
since  been  familiarly  known  among  the  Chinese. 

The  prime  object  of  the  college  is  to  train  young  men  for 
the  public  service,  especially  as  agents  of  international  inter- 
course. The  first  suggestion  of  it  (if  I  may  recapitulate  its 
earlier  history)  came  from  the  British  treaty,  which  contains  a 
provision  that  English  despatches  shall  for  a  period  of  three 
years  be  accompanied  by  a  Chinese  translation,  within  which 
time  the  Chinese  government  was  expected  to  provide  a  corps 
of  competent  interpreters.  To  meet  this  obligation,  a  class  in 
English  was  opened  in  1862,  and  French  and  Russian  classes 
in  the  year  following.  As  a  sample  of  the  way  in  which  many 
things  in  China  have  a  name  to  live  when  they  are  dead,  I  may 
mention  that  this  Russian  class  was  not  new.  It  had  a  record 
as  an  existing  institution  dating  back  to  the  middle  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  having  been  created  to  meet  the  exigencies  of 
intercourse  with  Russia  in  the  reign  of  Kienlung.  For  many 
years  there  had  been  native  professors  but  no  students.  At 
the  time  of  its  incorporation  in  the  School  of  Interpreters  the 
only  link  connecting  it  with  the  past  was  an  old  professor  who 
knew  no  Russian.  He  brought  no  students  and  no  books,  and 
was  himself  promptly  superseded  by  a  native  of  Russia,  leaving 
of  the  ancient  school  as  its  contribution  to  the  common  stock 
nothing  but  a  name,  or  rather  nominis  iinibra.  Yet  was  that 
shadowy  name  not  wholly  devoid  of  value  in  a  country  where 
the  most  formidable  objection  is  that  of  innovation. 

The  following  extract  from  a  memorial  of  Prince  Kung  and 
his  colleagues,  addressed  to  the  throne  in  October,  1861,  throws 
a  curious  light  on  the  history  of  the  college  at  this  stage  of  its 
existence,  showing  what  efforts  they  made  to  launch  the  insti- 
tution without  the  help  of  foreigners : 


296  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"  In  the  tenth  year  of  Hienfung  (i860)  we  had  the  honor  to 
lay  before  the  throne  a  statement  of  new  measures,  rendered 
necessary  by  the  events  of  the  late  war.  Among  other  things, 
we  stated  that  a  knowledge  of  the  character  and  institutions  of 
foreign  nations  is  indispensable  to  the  conduct  of  intercourse. 
We  accordingly  requested  your  Majesty  to  command  the  vice- 
roy and  governor  at  Canton  and  Shanghai  to  find  natives  well 
acquainted  with  foreign  letters,  and  to  send  them,  with  a  good 
supply  of  foreign  books,  to  the  capital,  with  a  view  to  the  in- 
struction of  youth  to  be  chosen  from  the  Eight  Banners. 

"  The  viceroy  of  Canton  reported  that  there  was  no  man 
whom  he  could  recommend,  and  the  governor  of  Kiangsu  re- 
ported that  though  o>ie  candidate  had  presented  himself,  he 
was  by  no  means  deeply  versed  in  the  subject. 

"  This  explains  the  long  delay  in  carrying  our  plan  into  exe- 
cution. Your  Majesty's  servants  are  penetrated  with  the  con- 
viction that  to  know  the  state  of  the  several  nations  it  is  neces- 
sary first  to  understand  their  language  and  letters.  This  is  the 
sole  means  to  protect  ourselves  from  becoming  the  victims  of 
crafty  impf)sition. 

"  Now  these  nations  at  large  expense  employ  natives  of 
China  to  teach  them  our  literature,  and  yet  China  has  not  a 
man  who  possesses  a  ripe  knowledge  of  foreign  languages  and 
letters — a  state  of  tilings  cpiite  incompatible  with  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  those  countries. 

"  As  therefore  no  native  candidates  were  sent  up  from  Can- 
ton and  Shanghai,  we  have  no  resource  but  to  seek  among  for- 
eigners for  suitable  men." 

In  the  I'Jiglish  department  (he  first  instructor  was  Mr.  lUir- 
don,  now  liisliop  of  Hong  Kong.  He  Wc'is  succeeded  bv  Dr. 
Fryer,  wlio  has  since  become  distinguished  as  a  translator  of 
scientific  ])or)ks  in  connection  with  the  arsenal  at  Shanghai. 
He  resigning,  the  post  was  offered  to  me  bv  recommendation 
of  Messrs.  Burlingame  and  Wade,  to  whom  the  Vamen  applied 


THE    TUNGWEX  COLLEGE  297 

for  advice.  The  pupils  being  few  and  the  salary  small,  I  spoke 
slightingly  of  the  position  when  it  was  first  proposed.  "  True, 
it  is  not  great,"  said  Burlingame,  "  but  you  can  make  it  great," 
a  remark  that  showed  how  clearly  he  perceived  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  place. 

Prior  to  this  he  had  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a  col- 
lege with  the  surplus  of  an  indemnity  paid  for  American  prop- 
erty destroyed  at  Canton,  and  of  making  me  head  of  it.  At 
his  request  I  drew  up  a  plan  for  the  institution,  but  he  failed 
to  get  the  fund,  which  twenty  years  later  was  restored  to  China, 
and  after  all  deductions  amounted  to  between  three  and  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  His  own  scheme  being  in  abeyance, 
he  was  glad  to  find  me  a  place  in  the  educational  service  of 
the  Chinese. 

Selecting  a  lucky  day  for  the  ceremony,  Hengki,  one  of  the 
ministers,  came  to  the  legation,  and  in  presence  of  Mr.  Bur- 
lingame handed  me  a  letter  of  appointment  from  the  Tsungli 
Yamen.  It  was  on  red  paper,  and,  avoiding  any  allusion  to 
pay,  stated  that  the  sum  of  a  thousand  taels  ($1330)  per  an- 
num would  be  allowed  for  "horse  and  cart,  paper  and  pens." 
Later  on  my  pay,  under  a  new  contract,  was  called  an  "  allow- 
ance for  wood  and  water,"  though  amounting  to  five  times  that 
figure.  These  terms  sound  whimsical,  but  do  we  not  forget  that 
our  word  "  salarv  "  means  an  "allowance  for  salt"? 

In  accepting  the  charge  I  was  careful  to  stipulate  that  I 
should  give  only  two  hours  per  diem  to  my  new  duties.  After 
a  few  months'  experience,  seeing  no  prospect  of  expansion,  I 
begged  permission  to  resign.  Instead  of  acceding  to  my  re- 
quest, two  members  of  the  Yamen,  Tung,  minister  of  finance, 
and  Tan,  minister  of  justice  (formerly  viceroy),  sent  for  me  and 
endeavored  to  persuade  me  to  withdraw  my  resignation. 

"Why,"  they  asked,  "do  you  wish  to  give  up  your  post? 
Is  your  pay  insufficient  ?  " 

"No,"  said  I,  "not  for  the  time  I  give." 


298  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"  Has  any  one  offended  you  by  a  want  of  respect?  " 
"  Not  in  the  least ;  students  and  all  Ikuc  been  kind  and 
courteous." 

"What  then  is  the  matter?     Why  do  you  ask  to  resign?  " 
"To  be  candid,"  I  said,  "the  care  of  only  ten   boys  who 
learn  nothing  but  English  is  for  me  too  small  a  business.     It 
looks  like  throwing  away  my  time." 

"If  that  is  the  ground  of  your  objection,"  said  they,  "you 
are  mistaken.  You  will  not  always  be  hmited  to  ten.  Then 
consider  the  destination  of  these  boys.  We  are  growing  old ; 
some  of  them  may  be  required  to  take  our  places.  The  em- 
peror, too,  may  feel  inclined  to  learn  foreign  languages ;  who 
knows  but  some  of  your  students  may  be  called  to  teach  him?  " 
A  prophetic  forecast,  as  it  turned  out,  that  was  quite  remark- 
able. 

A  view  so  gratifying  to  one  who  regards  effective  influence 
for  good  as  the  first  ol)ject  in  life  decided  me  to  stay,  though  I 
had  gone  so  far  as  to  offer  to  find  a  successor  and  had  spoken 
in  that  sense  to  Mr.  (i(^odrich.  Goodrich,  however,  declined 
the  place  as  liable  to  turn  him  aside  from  preaching  the  gospel. 
1  retained  it,  as  promising  to  open  a  field  of  influence  much 
wider  than  I  could  find  in  the  wayside  chajjcls  of  Peking. 
Which  was  right?      Perhaps  neither,  perhaps  both.* 

*  Here  is  a  composition  of  one  of  my  younger  students.  It  is  the  more 
comical  from  the  evident  seriousness  of  tlie  \\riter. 

"All  the  human  l)eiiigs  of  tlie  various  nations  throughout  the  ^vorld 
sliould  res[)ect  the  God;  because  he  is  the  source  frr)m  which  the  wealth, 
ha]-)piness,  blessing,  etc.,  are  derived,  and  it  is  he  who  gives  fortune  or 
mi.sfortune  to  the  peo])le.  Although  ])eople  cannot  see  his  ap]H-arance, 
yet  they  should  respect  him  as  though  he  is  in  the  ])resence  before  their 
eyes  ;  because  lie  can  secretly  gi\  e  rewards  to  those  who  have  done  good 
deeds,  and  ])uni■^hmellt  to  those  who  are  bail.  ( )ii  thinking  fif  this,  T 
will  relate  a  story  in  which  a  man  was  ])uiii-,hed  bv  the  dm]  on  account 
of  his  ha\ing  di>obe)-ed  the  Clod's  order,  and  which  runs  as  follows: 
Once  a  Cierman  named  Jonah  was  ordered   by  the  Ciod  to  go  to  a  certain 


THE    TUXGU'EN  COLLEGE  299 

Ik'sides  teaching  English  to  my  ten  pupils,  I  ga\"e  them  les- 
sons in  the  use  and  management  of  the  telegraph.  With  a  view 
to  the  introduction  of  that  wonderful  invention,  I  had  myself 
taken  lessons  in  Philadelphia ;  and  I  had  brought  with  me,  at 
my  own  expense,  two  sets  of  instruments,  one  on  the  Morse 
system,  the  other  with  an  alphabetic  dial-plate,  easy  to  learn 
and  striking  to  the  eye.  Before  taking  charge  of  this  class  I 
invited  the  Yamen  to  send  officials  to  my  house  to  witness  ex- 
periments. Prince  Kung  deputed  the  four  Chinese  who  were 
aiding  me  in  the  revision  of  Wheaton.  During  the  perform- 
ance they  looked  on  without  giving  any  sign  of  intelligence  or 
interest ;  one  of  them,  a  Hanlin,  or  academician,  observed  con- 
temptuously that  "  China  had  been  a  great  empire  for  four 
thousand  years  without  the  telegraph."  On  being  shown  a  few 
toys  they  were  delighted,  spending  much  time  in  catching  mag- 
netic fish  and  in  leading  or  chasing  magnetic  geese,  chuckling 

place  for  preaching,  and  he  promised  to  do  so.  Notwithstanding  his 
promise,  he  disobeyed  the  order,  and,  instead  of  going  to  his  destination, 
went  to  another  place  by  a  steamer.  During  the  voyage,  a  great  storm 
suddenly  arose,  which  caused  the  steamer  being  unable  to  go  on  forth. 
So  the  Captain  said  that  there  must  be  a  bad  man  among  the  passengers, 
and  lots  must  be  cast  in  order  to  point  out  ^vho  is  the  bad  man.  After 
this  work  had  been  done,  it  showed  that  Jonah  was  a  bad  man,  so  the 
Captain  asked  him  what  bad  action  he  had  done,  and  he  told  all  what  had 
happened  to  him.  According  to  the  usage  that  Jonah  should  be  thrown 
into  the  water,  but  the  Captain  would  not  throw  him  into  the  water,  for  if 
he  were  not  to  be  so  done,  the  vessel  would  be  upset,  and  all  the  passengers 
would  be  imprecated  to  death.  ^Yhen  Jonah  threw  himself  into  the  sea, 
the  storm  began  to  cease,  and  the  vessel  went  away  safely.  However, 
Jonah  did  not  get  drowned,  because  when  he  was  throwing  himself  into 
the  water,  a  whale  was  opening  its  mouth,  and  he  just  fell  into  it.  He 
lived  in  the  whale's  stomach  for  three  days,  and  afterward  when  the 
whale  breathed  the  air,  he  was  vomited  out  alive.  Thus  he  began  to  ofTer 
up  prayers  saying  that  he  would  never  venture  to  go  against  the  God's 
wish,  and  afterward  he  was  saved  by  a  steamer,  and  went  to  the  place 
appointed  to  him  by  the  God  to  preach." 


300  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

all  the  while  over  the  novelty  of  the  sport.  In  letters  they 
were  men,  in  science  children. 

Fearing  that  the  higher  ministers  might  be  prejudiced  by  the 
report  of  these  incompetent  witnesses,  I  offered  to  bring  my  in- 
struments to  the  Yamen  for  their  inspection.  They  gave  me  a 
room  to  set  them  up,  and  on  the  appointed  day  assembled  to 
see  the  experiments.  Everything  went  off  well,  the  old  men 
being  almost  as  childlike  as  their  clerks,  only  they  toyed  with 
the  telegraph  instead  of  fish  and  geese,  sending  bell  signals, 
wrapping  copper  wires  about  their  bodies,  breaking  or  closing 
the  circuit,  and  laughing  heartily  as  they  saw  sparks  leaping 
from  wire  to  wire  and  setting  hammers  in  motion.  The  per- 
formance terminated,  as  usual,  with  a  breakfast,  at  which  Mr. 
Hart,  just  returned  from  Pkirope,  was  besides  myself  the  only 
guest.  When  I  told  him  of  the  success  of  the  exhibition,  he 
remarked  dryly,  "  Every  little  helps."  In  mv  opinion  it  was 
not  a  "little"  thing;  nor  was  it  a  little  thing  in  that  of  Tung, 
the  minister  of  finance,  who  came  to  sec  the  instruments  so 
frequently  and  studied  them  to  such  good  purpose  that  he 
learned  to  send  messages.  He  also  assisted  me  to  construct 
an  alphabet  of  initials  and  finals  on  such  wise  that  the  needle 
would  spell  a  word  by  pointing  to  two  characters  as  simply  as 
b-a,  ha.  The  grand  secretary,  ^^'ensiang,  also  thought  my  ap- 
paratus worthy  of  more  than  one  \'isit. 

For  a  whole  year  my  instruments  remained  there,  and  I  re- 
moved them  only  when  I  became  con\-inced  tliat  there  was  no 
hope  of  any  immediate  result.  Thev  are  now  stored  as  old 
lumber  in  the  museum  of  the  college. 

In  January,  1874,  General  Rasloff,  the  envoy  of  Denmark, 
asked  me  if  I  could  arrange  for  some  of  his  jieople  belonging 
to  tlie  Great  Xortl'.ern  Coinpanv  to  ex]iil)it  their  instruments 
before  tlie  miiu'sters  f)f  the  \'ainen.  I  iiU'ited  lliem  to  })crform 
in  our  college  hall,  and  asked  the  ministers  to  be  i)resent. 
Their  ajiparatus  was  elegant,  but  the  Chinese  ministers  were 


THE    TUXGWEX  COLLEGE  301 

less  impressed  by  it  tlian  by  a  very  simple  telegraph  made 
entirely  of  native  materials  by  our  own  students.  It  worked 
well,  and  the  Danish  officers  looked  on  it  and  its  operators  as 
Moses  and  Aaron  must  have  looked  on  Jannes  and  Jambres, 
their  competitors  in  thaumaturgy. 

A  few  years  later  I  fell  into  conversation  one  day  with  a 
hard-fisted  peasant,  who  was  cultivating  a  stony  field  high  up 
on  the  western  hills.  "  Why  do  you  foreigners  not  take  the 
empire?  "  he  asked.  "  Do  you  think  we  could?  "  I  inquired  in 
return.  "  Certainly,"  he  replied,  pointing  to  a  line  of  telegraph 
stretching  across  the  plain  below— "the  men  who  made  that 
are  able  to  take  possession  of  the  empire."  His  brain  had  not 
been  addled  by  an  overdose  of  Chinese  classics ;  and  China  is 
full  of  such  men,  but  unhappily  they  are  under  the  heel  of  the 
literati. 

But  we  are  anticipating.  There  Avas  as  yet  no  "  hall,"  no  col- 
lege ;  only  a  school  of  interpreters,  and  nothing  more.  That 
school  was  the  germ  of  the  expanded  institution.  It  was  installed 
in  spare  buildings  attached  to  the  Yamen ;  its  name,  Tiaig- 
wcii  Kiaan,  which  the  college  still  retains,  signifies  "  School  of 
Combined  Learning  "  ;  and  the  time  had  come  when  Chinese 
statesmen  felt  the  need  of  other  kinds  of  learning  besides  lan- 
guages. 

In  1865  it  was  resolved  to  raise  the  school  of  interpreters  to 
the  rank  of  a  college  by  adding  a  scientific  department  and  ad- 
mitting students  of  high  attainments  in  Chinese  learning.  The 
scope  and  motives  of  this  undertaking  are  set  forth  in  two 
memorials  by  the  prince  and  ministers. 

In  the  first  they  say  : 

"  The  school  has  now  been  in  operation  nearly  five  years^ 
and  the  students  have  made  fair  progress  in  the  languages  and 
letters  of  the  West.  Being,  however,  very  young,  and  imper- 
fectly accpiainted  with  the  letters  of  their  own  country,  their 
time   is   unavoidably   divided    between   Chinese  and  foreign 


302  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

Studies.  Should  we,  in  addition,  require  them  io  take  up 
astronomy  and  mathematics,  we  fear  they  would  not  succeed 
in  acquiring  more  than  a  smattering  of  anything. 

"  The  machinery  of  the  West,  its  steamers,  its  firearms,  and  its 
military  tactics,  all  have  their  source  in  mathematical  science. 
Now  at  Shanghai  and  elsewhere  the  building  of  steamers  has 
been  commenced ;  but  we  fear  that  if  we  are  content  with  a 
superficial  knowledge,  and  do  not  go  to  the  root  of  the  mat- 
ter, such  efforts  will  not  issue  in  solid  success. 

"  Your  Majesty's  servants  have  accordingly  to  propose,  after 
mature  deliberation,  that  an  additional  department  shall  be 
established,  into  which  none  shall  be  admitted  but  those  who 
are  over  twenty  years  of  age,  having  previously  gained  a  de- 
gree in  Chinese  learning.  For  we  are  convinced  that  if  we 
are  able  to  master  the  mysteries  of  mathematical  calculation, 
physical  investigation,  astronomical  observation,  the  construc- 
tion of  engines,  the  engineering  of  watercourses,  this,  and 
only  this,  will  assure  the  steady  growth  of  the  power  of  the 
empire." 

No  sooner  were  these  proposals  laid  before  the  throne  than 
they  were  made  a  target  for  bitter  attack  by  mandarins  of  the 
old  school.  A  second  memorial  replies  to  these  objectors.  In 
both  the  prevision  and  breadth  of  view  are  truly  admirable  ; 
but  how  lamentable  that  men  of  such  intelligence  should  be 
forced  by  national  bigotry  to  repudiate  all  sympathy  with  the 
civilization  of  the  West! 

Defending  their  action  in  the  later  memorial  (1866),  they 
say : 

"  We  have  now  to  explain  that  in  proposing  these  measures 
we  have  neither  been  influenced  by  a  love  of  novelty  nor  fas- 
cinated l)y  the  arts  of  the  West,  but  actuated  solely  by  the 
consideration  tliat  to  attemj)!  to  introduce  tlic  arts  without  tlie 
scifiiccs  would  l)c  likely  to  prove  an  abortive  and  useless  ex- 
penditure of  public  funds.     Those  who  criticize  this  proceed- 


THE    TUXGWEX  COLLEGE  303 

ing  object  that  it  is  at  present  not  an  affair  of  urgent  necessity  ; 
that  we  are  wrong  in  renouncing  our  own  methods  to  follow 
those  of  the  West ;  or,  finally,  that  it  would  be  a  deep  disgrace 
for  China  to  become  the  pupil  of  the  West. 

"  Now  not  only  do  the  nations  of  the  West  learn  from  each 
other  the  new  things  that  are  daily  produced,  but  Japan  in  the 
Eastern  seas  has  recently  sent  men  to  England  to  learn  the  lan- 
guage and  science  of  that  country.  When  a  small  nation  like 
Japan  knows  how  to  enter  on  a  career  of  progress,  what  could 
be  a  greater  disgrace  than  for  China  to  adhere  to  her  old  tra- 
ditions and  never  think  of  waking  up?  "  * 

Besides  suggesting  sundry  other  regulations  for  the  new  en- 
terprise they  conclude  l)y  proposing  that  the  cadets  of  the  Im- 
perial Academy  (the  Hanlin),  "being  distinguished  for  liter- 
ary attainments  and  but  slightly  burdened  with  official  duties, 
shall  be  required  to  enter  the  Tungwen  College  and  prosecute 
the  study  of  science,  which  it  is  certain  they  would  find  a  mat- 
ter of  easy  acquisition." 

In  the  spring  of  1866  ]\Ir.  Hart  made  a  hasty  trip  to  Europe 
with  two  great  objects  in  view.  One  was  to  engage  professors ; 
what  the  other  was  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he 
brought  back  a  ladv  who  was  rich  —  in  personal  attractions.  In 
the  former,  as  might  have  been  predicted,  he  was  less  fortu- 
nate. Of  the  five  men  brought  out  one  died  on  arrival,  another 
was  forced  by  mortal  disease  to  leave  Peking  before  entering 
on  his  duties,  two  proved  recalcitrant,  and  likewise  found  early 
graves.  The  only  exception  to  this  series  of  fatalities  was 
Monsieur  Billequin,  who  has  just  passed  away  at  Paris  after 
a  quarter  of  a  century  of  distinguished  service.  To  him 
more  than  to  anv  other  belongs  the  honor  of  introducing 
our  nK)dern  chemical  science  into  China,  the  home  of  ancient 
alchemy. 

*  licginiiiiii;  tlius  early  to  be  intlueiiced  by  tlie  example  of  Japan,  what  a 
pity  tlie  Chinese  have  been  so  slow  to  follow  it  up  I 


304  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

A  special  interest  attaches  to  the  case  of  Johannes  von 
Gumpach,  who  was  engaged  as  professor  of  astronomy.  He 
was  a  German,  calHng  himself  "  baron  "  and  posing  as  a  man 
of  mark  and  merit  in  the  world  of  science.  As  to  his  merit, 
the  best  testimony  is  that  of  Professor  Fritsche,  of  the  Russian 
observatory,  who  said  to  me,  Fhilolog  vielleicht  er  sei;  Astronom 
ist  er  nicht  ("  Philologist  perhaps  he  is  ;  astronomer  he  is  not  "). 
What  mark  he  enjoyed  was  in  the  character  of  an  Ishmaelite, 
whose  attitude  is  opposition  and  his  element  controversy. 
What  contributed  most  to  his  notoriety  was  his  announced  de- 
termination to  overthrow  the  Newtonian  theory  of  gravitation 
— for  attraction  substituting  the  pressure  of  space,  which  he 
defined  as  "  the  unagglomerated  or  unitary  portion  of  the  cos- 
mos." The  earth,  he  asserted,  is  not  like  an  orange,  but  like 
a  lemon,  i.e.,  a  prolate  instead  of  an  oblate  spheroid.  In  the- 
ology he  was  a  pantheist,  believing,  as  Dr.  Williams  phrased  it, 
"  that  there  w^as  not  enough  of  God  in  any  one  place  to  hurt 
him  " — a  view  which  in  these  days  would  hardly  suffice  to  make 
him  singular.  Many  other  strange  notions  he  held,  which,  like 
the  electric  spark,  only  required  the  approach  of  an  opposite  to. 
leap  forth.  One  day  in  summer  he  was  on  his  way  to  Patachu, 
when  his  cart,  laden  with  books,  was  swept  away  by  a  torrent 
caused  by  a  sudden  shower,  the  subsiding  waters  leaving  books 
and  manuscripts  as  landmarks  for  miles  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 
When  I  condoled  witli  him  he  exxlaimed,  "Ah,  that  water! 
It  has  lost  me  the  labor  of  twenty  years  and  prolonged  the 
reign  of  Newton  perhaps  for  centuries."  Yes  ;  perhaps  for  cen- 
turies another  CJumpach  may  not  appear!  During  my  absence 
in  the  United  States  he  was  dismissed  for  refusing  to  accept 
the  duty  assigned  him  —  that  of  teaching  mathematics.  My  ap- 
pointment to  tlie  presidency,  a  j)osition  to  whicli  lie  had  aspired, 
supplied  him  with  a  fresh  grievance,  and  he  posted  away  to 
Shanghai  to  prosecute  Mr.  Hart  for  l)reac]i  of  contract.  A 
Shanghai  jury  gave  him  eighteen   hundred  pounds  damages, 


THE    rUKGlVEN  COLLEGE 


305 


but  tliat  judgment  was  reversed  by  the  privy  council  on  appeal, 
and  after  dragging  out  a  precarious  existence  for  a  few  years 
without  employment  he  died  in  a  state  of  extreme  destitution. 
With  all  his  eccentricity  he  was  a  man  of  quick  wit  and  varied 
acquirements.  His  weakest  point  was  the  desire  to  get  a  liv- 
ing without  having  earned  it. 


PRINTING    Willi    BLOCK    AND    BRUSH.       (sEE    TACE    308.) 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  TUNGWEN   COLLEGE   [Cofltitmed) 

Cradle  of  an  empress — Our  college  press — Two  observatories  and  two 
astronomies— Opposition  to  the  college — Superstition  in  high  places 
—  Old  students — The  emperor  learning  English — Official  ajipoint- 
ments  —  Introduction  of  science  into  examinations  for  civil  service 
— Translation  of  books  —  Medical  class  and  Ciiinese  medicine — 
Wedded  to  ceremony — General  Grant's  visit — Religious  impressions. 

A  ROMANTIC  story  is  connected  with  the  site  of  the  col- 
lege. The  property  formerly  belonged  to  Saishanga,  a 
prime  minister  of  Mongol  extraction.  It  was  confiscated  when 
he  was  thrown  into  prison  for  ill  success  against  the  Taiping 
rebels.  His  son,  Chungche,  a  Master  of  Arts,  begged  to  share 
his  captivity.  The  old  general  died  in  disgrace,  but  days  of 
glory  were  in  store  for  his  family,  a  reward,  as  is  generally  be- 
lieved, of  filial  piety.  The  devoted  son,  winning  the  third  de- 
gree, was  examined  in  presence  of  the  emperor,  and  his  name 
marked  by  the  "  vermilion  pencil  "  as  Chuani^  Yuen,  or  scholar 
laureate  of  the  empire.  Never  before  had  the  first  of  literary 
honors  fallen  to  the  lot  of  a  Tartar  bannerman.  So  high  is  the 
distinction  tliat  In's  daughter,  the  Tady  Aleuta,  a  maiden  of 
great  accomph'shments,  was  selected  by  the  empress  regent  as 
a  fit  cons(jrt  for  the  young  emperor.  Brief,  however,  was  lier 
enj(;yment  of  imi)erial  grandeur,  for  the  untimely  deatli  of  her 
lord  led  lier  to  commit  suttee  l^y  starvation.  Her  fatlier,  who 
was  raised  to  a  dukedom,  still  lives.     He  was  born  in  those 

306 


THE    TUNG  WEN  COLLEGE 


;o7 


buildings,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  hapless  empress  was  also 
born  there. 

In  1866  new  buildings  were  erected  in  anticipation  of  the 
arrival  of  new  professors,  and  others  have  since  been  added. 
They  are  of  one  story,  in  the  regulation  style  of  Peking,  with 
tile  floors  and  little  orna- 
ment. Each  principal 
building  has  in  front  of 
it  a  paved  court,  flanked 
by  smaller  houses  or 
wings.  The  entire  space 
is  occupied  by  seven 
such  quadrangles  and 
two  rows  of  low  houses, 
which,  together  with  the 
wings,  furnish  accommo- 
dation for  such  of  our 
students  as  are  allowed 
to  lodge  within  the  gates, 
as  well  as  for  a  corps  of 
college  servants,  thirty 
or  forty  in  number.* 
The    whole   group  resembles    a   barrack,  or   rather   a   camp. 

In  the  public  buildings  of  the  Chinese,  their  palaces  excepted, 
there  is  nothing  imposing.  Even  the  Ilanlin  Yuen,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Imperial  Academy,  is  a  poor  structure,  its  great- 
ness being  in  the  institution,  not  in  the  architecture.  Our  press 
building  and  observatorv  are  deserving  of  notice,  aside  from 


Ii.\Kl'.RK    SHAVING    STl'DKNT 


*  These  are  "  liereditnry  slaves  of  the  palace,"  and  fcirm  an  aristocratic 
appemlarre  —  kecpini;  before  the  eyes  of  our  students  an  instructive  illus- 
tration of  the  evils  of  idleness  and  it,mnrance.  A  mild  kind  of  slavery 
exists  in  China,  the  poor  lieing  allowed  to  sell  themselves  or  their  children. 
The  ri^dits  of  slaves  are  defmed  by  law,  and  moral  teaching  does  much 
to  humanize  the  "  peculiar  institution." 


3o8  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

their  style.  In  the  art  of  printing,  which  lias  effected  such  a 
revolution  in  the  social  condition  of  mankind  by  cheapening 
books  and  diffusing  knowledge,  China  led  the  way  by  her  sys- 
tem of  block-cutting,  or  stereotyping  on  wood.  Invented  in 
the  eighth  century,  some  intimation  of  it  must  have  been  con- 
veyed to  Europe  by  the  Polos  or  others  in  the  thirteenth,  if  not 
earlier,  suggesting,  probably,  Gutenberg's  invention  of  printing 
with  movable  types.  In  China  the  idea  of  divisible  type  was 
not  unknown ;  but  attempts  to  embody  it  in  clay  or  porcelain 
were  failures,  and  no  experiment  of  type-casting  in  metal  is  on 
record.  An  effort  to  produce  metal  types,  not  by  casting,  but 
by  engraving  on  cubes  of  copper,  was  made  in  the  reign  of 
Kanghi,  long  after  Gutenberg ;  but  the  copper  proved  too 
tempting  to  light-fingered  compositors,  and  when  Kanghi's 
grandson  desired  to  print  the  Tiishu,  an  encyclopedic  collec- 
tion of  Chinese  literature,  the  costly  font  was  found  too  incom- 
plete for  use. 

At  present  metallic  types  are  in  extensive  use,  but  all  the 
fonts  came  from  matrices  made  by  foreigners,  mostly  mission- 
aries. A  mission  press  belonging  to  the  American  Board  was 
in  operation  in  Peking  before  the  opening  of  our  college,  and 
there  our  examination  papers  were  printed.  The  grand  secre- 
tary, Wensiang,  admiring  their  neatness  and  the  expedition  of 
the  process,  I  gave  him  a  handful  of  types  sent  me  by  their 
maker,  Mr.  Gamble,  a  mission  printer  in  Shanghai.  These 
were  the  seeds  from  which  sprang  our  printing-ofifice,  where 
books  have  been  printed  for  the  emperor  as  well  as  for  the  col- 
lege, the  old  printing-office  of  the  emperors  ]:a\-ingbeen  recently 
burned.  A\'hcn  I  suggested  that  we  should  have  a  small  plant 
for  college  use,  he  asked  me  for  an  estimate  of  the  cost,  and 
requested  .Mr.  Hart  to  procure  tliree  times  the  amount.  The 
whole  cargo  was  dumped  pronn'scuously  into  a  j)()or  slied  in  a 
vacant  lot,  where  it  was  imp(jssil)le  to  make  it  work.  On  my 
pointing  this  out,  he  gave  me  no  immediate  answer,  but  sent 


THE    TUXGIVEN  COLLEGE  309 

me  a  day  or  two  later  a  lot  of  workmen  with  a  message  to  put 
up  such  a  buikh'ng  as  I  thought  proper.  The  ground  required 
filling,  and  for  that  I  wished  to  use  rubbish  which  in  the  course 
of  ages  liad  formed  a  hillock  within  the  college  grounds.  I'he 
Yamen  objected  that  its  removal  would  injure  \\\q  fi/iigs/iui,  or 
luck,  of  the  locality ;  so  that  little  hill  still  continues  to  attract 
good  influences  impartially  to  the  halls  of  science  and  to  the 
chambers  of  diplomacy.  Strange  compound  of  conservatism 
and  progress! 

In  the  matter  of  an  observatory  it  was  not  so  easy  to  induce 
the  Yamen  to  take  action.  It  might  collide  with  the  preroga- 
tives of  the  Board  of  Astronomy,  an  antiquated  corporation 
which  claims  a  monopoly  of  the  heavens  because  it  already 
possesses  an  observatory  —  where,  however,  nothing  is  observed 
except  eclipses,  the  observance  (not  observation)  consisting  in 
burning  incense  and  beating  tam-tams  to  frighten  away  a  \-ora- 
cious  dragon.  That  establishment  was  erected  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  eminent  Jesuits,  Schaal  and  Yerbiest,  and  equipped 
with  apparatus,  usual  in  that  day,  wrought  in  bronze  by  Chi- 
nese workmen  from  their  designs.  Globe,  azimuth,  quadrant, 
armillarv  spheres,  have  been  standing  on  a  terrace  on  the  city 
wall  for  two  hundred  years,  exposed  to  all  weathers ;  yet  they 
look  as  fresh  as  if  of  vcsterday.  Yisited  of  all  visitors  as  mar- 
vels of  metallurgv,  they  are  utterly  useless  for  any  practical 
purpose.  Xo  telescope  is  found  among  them,  nor  is  it  likely 
that  anvthing  of  the  kind  was  ever  used  by  the  missionaries, 
thougli  Cialileo's  great  invention  had  been  known  to  the  world 
for  more  than  a  centurv.  Did  the  church  which  condemned 
the  doctrines  of  Galileo  discourage  the  use  of  his  telescope  ? 
Certain  it  is  that  those  worthv  men,  so  distinguished  for  ability 
and  learning,  persisted  in  making  the  earth  the  hub  of  the  uni- 
verse, and  rejected  the  svstem  of  Copernicus,  which  Galileo 
was  punished  for  propagating. 

The  plea  for  a  new'  observatory  to  go  along  with  the  new 


310  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

astronomy  required  little  argument.  The  Yamen  admitted  its 
necessity  and  promised  that  we  should  have  it  as  soon  as  a 
suitable  site  could  be  fixed  upon.  Several  sites  were  proposed, 
but  in  each  case  the  earth-spirits  [finigs/ii/i],  like  tlie  Titans  of 
old,  made  war  on  heaven,  and  it  was  nearly  twentv  years  be- 
fore we  obtained  a  site  free  from  objection.  In  1888,  under 
a  new  ministry,  the  signs  were  interpreted  more  liberally,  and 
the  long-desired  edifice  was  authorized,  with  a  limit  of  three 
stories  in  height.  That,  however,  was  high  enough  to  make 
property  cheap  in  the  neighborhood.  If  it  had  l)een  built  by 
missionaries  a  mob  would  have  torn  it  down  ;  but,  sanctioned 
as  it  was  by  supreme  authority,  they  silently  shook  their  fists 
and  moved  away. 

One  of  the  best  products  of  our  astronomical  department  is 
an  abritlged  translation  of  the  nautical  almanac.  It  is  eagerly 
sought  by  the  old  Board  of  Astronomy  for  comparison  with 
their  own  calendar,  which  continues  to  be  the  official  standard. 
The  latter  indeed  possesses  a  value  to  which  our  science  makes 
no  pretension,  viz.,  a  careful  discrimination,  on  principles  un- 
known to  us,  of  the  good  or  evil  influences  of  the  stars,  result- 
ing in  a  division  of  days  into  lucky  and  unlucky.  All  this  is 
given  out  by  imperial  authority,  and  the  people  conform  to  it. 
No  man  thinks  of  beginning  a  journey,  laying  a  corner-stone, 
planting  a  tree,  marrying  a  wife,  luirying  a  parent,  or  anv  of  a 
thousand  functions  in  public  or  private  life,  without  consulting 
this  convenient  oracle.  The  late  archimandrite  Palladius  told 
me  that  he  found  this  calendar  useful,  as  it  enabled  him  to 
select  an  unlucky  day  for  his  visits  to  the  Russian  legation,  four 
miles  distant,  when  he  was  sure  to  find  the  streets  un()l)structed 
l)y  marriages  or  funerals.  Ajiropos  of  the  caleiular,  a  native 
writer  gix'cs  us  the  following  piece  of  satire.  A  voung  man, 
hearing  a  fry  of  (li>tress,  ran  to  tlie  rescue  and  found  In's  fatlier 
l)urie(l  under  tlie  ruins  of  a  fallen  wall.  "'  l]c  jiatient,  inv  fatlier." 
he  said;  "you  liave  always  taught  me  to  do  notliing  without 


THE    TUNGIVEN  COLLEGE  31 1 

consulting  the  almanac.  Just  wait  a  bit  until  I  see  whether 
this  is  a  suitable  day  for  moving  bricks." 

In  the  old  observatory  astrology  still  reigns,  and  all  China 
is  subject  to  her  sway. 

Of  our  professors  nine  are  foreigners,  namely : 

W.  A.  P.  Martin,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President,  and  Professor  of 
International  Law  (State  University,  Indiana,  U,  S.  A.) ; 

C.  H.  Oliver,  M.A.,  Vice-President,*  and  Professor  of 
Physics  (Queen's  College,  Belfast,  Ireland) ; 

J.  Dudgeon,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology 
(University  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland) ; 

S.  M.  Russell,  M.A.,  Professor  of  Astronomy  (Queen's 
College,  Belfast,  Ireland) ; 

Carl  Stuhlmann,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Min- 
eralogy (Hamburg,  Germany) ; 

Monsieur  Ch.  Vapereau,  Professor  of  French  Language 
and  Literature  (Paris,  France) ; 

Herr  V.  von  Grot,  Professor  of  Russian  (Novgorod, 
Russia) ; 

Herr  A.  H.  Wilzer,  Professor  of  German  (Saxony) ; 

W.  MacDonald,  B.Sc,  Professor  of  English  (Dingwall, 
Scotland). 

In  addition  to  these  there  are  four  native  professors,  of 
whom  three  teach  Chinese  and  one  mathematics. 

Our  students — all  on  paid  scholarships — are  limited  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty.  They  are  of  two  sorts — those  who  begin 
with  languages,  and  those  who  begin  with  sciences.  The  former 
are  drawn  from  the  Rannermen  of  Peking,  and  as  a  rule  come 
to  the  study  of  a  foreign  language  with  but  little  knowledge  of 
their  own.  The  other  division  contains  both  Chinese  and  Tar- 
tars, and  their  literary  standing  must  be  sufficient  to  admit  them 
to  examinations  for  the  civil  service.  Among  them  are  found 
all  three  of  the  regular 'degrees,  and  many  who  came  with  the 

*  Now  president. 


312 


A    CYCLE    OF  CAT!/ AY 


lowest  degree  have  while  in  the  college  succeeded  in  winr'.ig 
the  highest.  One,  Mr.  Wang  Fungtsao,  has  plucked  the  bright 
honor  of  a  membership  in  the  Imperial  Academy.  The  college 
is  accordingly  regarded  with  much  respect  by  the  literati,  and 
students  from  the  best  families  are  anxious  to  enter.  This  was 
not  the  case  at  first.  The  call  for  cadets  from  the  Hanlin 
Academy  was  viewed  as  an  indignity  to  Chinese  learning ;  and 


1'KI1I'1:SS<)K    I.I     AM)    II 


AIII  AI.    CI.A^ 


Wojin,  president  of  the  academy,  protested  so  energetically  as 
to  keep  them  away.  Nor  did  the  enmity  of  A\'ojin  stop  here. 
During  a  severe  drought,  which  occurred  soon  after  my  return 
to  China,  he  instigated  one  of  the  censors  to  denounce  the  col- 
lege as  the  cause  of  the  calamity,  an  abonu'nation  which  must 
be  removed  before  the  clouds  would  send  down  their  showers. 
Prince  Kung,  who  detected  tlie  face  of  A\'()jin  belu'nd  tlie 
mask,  induced  the  emperor  to  issue  a  decree  censuring  him  for 
"nonsensical  babl)]ing,"  and  autliorizing  lu'm  toestablisli  a  col- 
lege to  be  conducted  on  In's  own  ])rin('i[>lcs  in  competition  with 
the  Tungwen.      Not  only  did  tlie  old   chauvinist  decline  the 

*  For  an  account  of  J'rofessor  Li,  see  rait  II.,  Cliapter  IX. 


THE    TUiXGlVEX  COLLEGE  313 

challenge,  knowing  that  the  "  native  men  of  science,"  of  whom 
he  had  boasted,  were  figures  of  speech,  but  he  refused  a  seat 
in  the  Tsungh  Yamen,  which  the  prince  offered  him  as  a 
means  of  education,  because  it  would  bring  him  in  contact  with 
people  whom  he  never  called  by  any  other  name  than  yang 
kwctsze  ("  foreign  devils  "). 

It  was  no  small  triumph  for  the  college  to  survive  an  attack 
led  on  by  the  champion  of  the  literati,  aided  by  such  portents 
as  they  were  able  to  evoke  from  the  discord  of  elements.  How 
susceptible  the  Chinese  are  to  such  arguments  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  the  emperor  is  held  responsible  for  the  course 
of  nature  as  well  as  for  the  order  of  his  people.  Calamities, 
from  whatever  cause,  are  charged  to  his  account.  Even  eclipses 
of  the  sun  and  moon  are  taken  as  indicating  that  there  is  some- 
thing wrong  in  his  conduct,  or  in  that  of  his  consort.  How 
much  the  teachings  of  science  are  needed  to  cure  superstition 
in  high  places  may  be  seen  by  an  incident  that  occurred  some 
years  later.  Prayers,  in  which  the  emperor  takes  the  lead, 
having  failed  to  procure  rain,  a  wise  man  suggested  that  the 
drought  was  caused  by  a  tiger,  who  controls  the  winds,  getting 
the  better  of  a  dragon,  who  rules  the  clouds.  "  If,"  said  he, 
"  your  Majesty  will  order  a  tiger  to  be  thrown  into  the  sacred 
pool,  that  will  give  the  dragon  the  upper  hand,  and  we  shall 
have  rain."  By  the  emperor's  order  they  threw  into  the  pool 
a  skeleton  of  a  tiger,  which  was  easier  to  get  and  safer  to  han- 
dle than  the  living  beast.  It  was  bought  cheap,  as  an  article 
not  much  in  demand  in  time  of  peace  —  tigers'  bones  being  sold 
by  apothecaries  as  a  specific  for  the  imparting  of  courage.  By 
tlie  irony  of  fate,  it  devolved  on  Prince  Kung  and  Wensiang, 
the  protagonists  of  progress,  to  carry  into  effect  this  pitiful  piece 
of  imperial  humbug. 

I  was  once  called  on  by  "Wang  Wenshao,  an  eminent  mem- 
ber of  the  Yamen,  to  explain  the  appearance  of  a  comet,  which 
had  suddenly  confronted  him  in  a  menacing  manner  as  he  was 


314  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

going  to  the  palace  in  the  early  morning.  Apprehensive  of 
some  dire  calamity,  my  arguments  gave  him  but  little  comfort, 
and  when  three  days  later  he  was  denounced  for  complicity  in 
a  fraud  on  the  treasury,  he  was  convinced  that  the  comet  fore- 
shadowed his  downfall.  Though  himself  free  from  guilt,  he 
was  held  responsible  for  the  acts  of  others,  and  had  to  retire 
for  a  time  from  the  public  service.  He  is  the  successor  of  Li 
Hung  Chang  in  the  viceroyalty  of  Chihli. 

Quick  of  apprehension  and  patient  in  application,  Chinese 
students  succeed  well  in  scientific  studies.  They  have  alw^ays 
shown  a  marked  preference  for  chemistry,  perhaps  because  it 
is  the  offspring  of  Chinese  alchemy,  of  which  they  have  read 
so  much  in  native  literature.  One  day,  after  the  close  of  a 
chemical  lecture,  a  member  of  the  class  was  discovered  to  be 
on  fire.  Out  of  zeal  for  science  he  had  purloined  a  stick  of 
phosphorus  and  secreted  it  in  his  vest-pocket.  It  proved  more 
difificult  to  conceal  than  the  Spartan's  fox.  In  languages  they 
are  not  so  ready,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  peculiarity  of  their 
own,  which  has  no  alphabet,  no  gender,  number,  or  tense,  and 
a  very  narrow  range  of  syllabic  sounds.  We  accordingly  never 
re(|uire  a  student  to  apply  himself  to  more  than  one  foreign 
language,  and  for  them  the  mastery  of  one  is  a  rare  attainment. 
The  four  schools,  English,  French,  Russian,  and  German,  are 
therefore  supplied  with  distinct  sets  of  students.  Tlie  full  course 
(of  sciences  and  one  language)  extends  over  eight  years.  Di- 
plomas are  not  given,  as  in  Western  colleges,  but  those  who  are 
distinguished  for  proficiency  are  rewarded  by  mandarin  rank. 
This  is  ccjnferred  once  in  three  3'ears  after  a  fakao,  or  great  ex- 
amination. In  the  annual,  (juarterlv,  and  monthly  examinations 
money  prizes  are  given  amounting  to  one  thousand  dollars  per 
annum.  There  are  four  proctors  who  attend  to  the  temporal- 
ities and  assist  in  governing  the  students. 

The  maintenance  of  discipline  is  not  difficult,  owing  partly  to 
a  habit  of  res])ectful  suljmission  inculcated  at  home,  partly  to  a 


THE    TUNG  IV EN  COLLEGE  315 

quiet,  unexxitable  temperament.  During  the  five  and  twenty 
years  of  my  administration  we  encountered  no  turbulent  out- 
break, though  in  one  instance  I  was  met  by  the  silent  opposition 
of  the  whole  body.  A  lad  who  had  been  to  Europe  and  spoke 
French  was  admitted,  in  the  hope  that  he  would  help  the  students 
of  the  French  department  in  speaking  the  language.  Imagine 
my  surprise  to  find  that  not  a  student  would  speak  to  him.  He 
had  been  a  servant  in  the  French  legation.  Menial  servants 
and  their  children  for  three  generations  are  by  law  excluded 
from  the  civil  service.  It  was  a  mortal  wound  to  the  pride  of 
our  young  Tartars  to  have  a  lackey  thrust  into  their  midst  as 
their  fellow  and  equal.  Fortunately,  to  relieve  the  stress  I 
found  a  good  pretext  for  dismissing  him.  His  father  (by  adop- 
tion) complained  to  me  that  the  young  man,  though  receiving 
an  allowance  of  thirteen  dollars  per  mensem,  an  ample  income 
for  a  poor  family,  had  given  him  no  share  of  it.  He  was  un- 
filial ;  whatever  his  talents,  without  fihal  piety  he  could  not  be 
retained.  The  soi-disant  father  was  soiTy  that  he  had  made 
complaint. 

At  the  opening  of  the  college  prior  to  my  presidency  a  good 
deal  of  sport  was  made  of  certain  "  frisky  lads  of  forty  "  who 
were  expected  to  learn  foreign  languages.  Most  of  those  "  old 
fellows  "  were  speedily  extinguished,  leaving  only  half  a  dozen 
of  the  more  diligent.  Seeing  one  of  them  leading  a  pretty 
child  one  day  in  the  street,  I  inquired,  "Is  he  your  son?" 
"  My  grandson,"  he  answered,  with  a  smile. 

Among  our  students  marriage  is  the  rule,  instead  of  being, 
as  in  American  colleges,  a  rare  exception.  Asking  a  beardless 
youth  why  he  looked  so  sad,  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  he  re- 
plied, "but  my  son  is  dead."  By  the  way,  they  are  all  beard- 
less until  they  become  grandsires  or  are  old  enough  to  be  such. 
Confucius  twice  had  a  father  and  son  among  his  disciples,  and 
in  two  instances  we  have  had  the  like  among  our  students.  In 
the  examinations  for  the  civil  service  three  generations,  perhaps 


3i6 


A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 


four,  may  be  seen  together  in  competition.  As  a  candidate  is 
never  superannuated,  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  win  a 
degree  at  sixty  or  upward.  Even  when  conscious  of  faihng 
powers   an    old   scholar   will   persist   in    the  race,  "  faint  yet 

pursuing,"  assured  that 
at  last  the  coveted  de- 
gree will  be  conferred  as 
the  reward  of  patience, 
if  not  for  literary  merit. 
Such  honorary  degrees 
I  have  known  to  be 
conferred  by  imperial 
decree  at  the  age  of 
ninety-six. 

Those  who  have? 
ser\'e(l  a  term  or  two 
in  diplomatic  or  con- 
sular employ  are  j)er- 
mitted  to  reenter  the 
college  and  revive  their 
studies  while  waiting  for 
a  new  appointment.  They  are  usually  given  the  charge  of  a 
class,  with  the  title  of  tutor,  or  employed  as  official  translators. 
About  four  years  ago  two  such  alumni,  Messrs.  Chang  and 
Shen,  returning  from  abroad,  were,  in  fulfilment  of  'I'ung's 
prophecy,  appointed  to  give  iMiglisli  lessons  to  his  Majesty, 
Kwangsii.  To  show  them  honor  as  his  teachers,  the  emj)eror 
permitted  them  to  sit  in  his  presence  while  princes  and  other 
grandees  were  kneeling.  The  importance  of  attitude  may  [)e 
illustrated  by  a  dispute  between  a  barber  and  a  chiroi)()dist. 
"You  should  treat  me  with  more  respect,"  said  tlie  former, 
"because  my  business  has  to  do  with  the  head  and  yours  witli 
the  feet."  "  On  the  contrary,  you  ought  to  rise  u])  before 
me,"  said  the  latter,  "  as  you  lunx'  to  stand  before  or  behind 


MK.    C:iAN(;    TOVI,  EN(;l.ISH     1  ITdk    TO    THli 
EMTEKUK    (sr.MMliR    DKESs). 


THE    TUX  CM  EX  COLLEGE  317 

vour  humblest  customer,  while  I  am  allowed  to  sit  even  in  the 
presence  of  majesty." 

As  the  half-hour  for  the  lesson  was  about  4  a.m.  the  teachers 
had  to  start  for  the  palace  shortly  after  midnight  and  wait  some- 
times for  hours — a  duty  so  fatiguing  that  they  obtained  per- 
mission to  divide  the  burden.  The  Emperor  of  China  is  probably 
the  onl\-  man  who  ever  had  two  professors  at  one  lesson.  The 
dual  system  may  do  for  dignity,  but  it  has  its  inconveniences. 
One  of  the  tutors  complained  to  me  one  day  that  the  other  had 
pulled  his  sleeve  and  corrected  him  in  the  pronunciation  of  a 
word.  I  warned  them  that  where  doctors  disagree  the  conse- 
quences are  always  bad,  especially  where  the  pupil  is  an  em- 
peror. 

For  a  long  time  their  august  pupil  was  very  punctual,  rarely 
losing  a  day,  and  showing  considerable  aptitude  for  reading  and 
writing.  In  speaking  he  was  not  at  all  proficient ;  how  could 
he  be  when  his  teachers  never  dared  to  correct  his  mistakes? 
All  conversational  exercises  were  given  him  in  writing,  and 
by  him  copied  out,  his  teachers  previously  bringing  them  to 
me  for  approval.  Besides  Chinese,  an  emperor  always  studies 
jNIanchu  and  ^Mongolian.  His  people  are  not  therefore  greatly 
surprised  at  his  taking  uj)  English,  though  they  regard  it  as  an 
act  of  sublime  condescension. 

There  was  a  rush  to  learn  PZnglish  when  the  emperor  first 
began,  princes  and  ministers  of  the  presence  applying  for  books 
and  instruction.  Their  zeal  flagged,  and  the  emperor's  too, 
when  the  foreign  envovs  declined  a  Xew-Year's  audience,  for 
which  his  ^Majesty  was  preparing  a  speech  in  English. 

The  venerable  student  above  spoken  of  as  a  grandfather 
eventually  obtained  the  governorship  of  a  cit\-.  Many  of  our 
students  get  similar  positions.  Some  have  been  transferred  to 
a  military  school,  of  which  two  are  directors,  and  some  have 
entered  the  telegraph  service ;  but  the  best  of  our  graduates 
find  employment  in  the  diplomatic  and  consular  services.    Sev- 


3i8 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


eral  have  risen  to  the  rank  of  consul-general  and  cha?-ge'  d'af- 
faires. One — the  academician — has  had  the  honor  of  repre- 
senting his  sovereign  at  a  foreign  court.*  During  the  war  with 
France  one  was  sent  to  Canton  as  military  engineer  because  he 

knew  how  to  calculate  the 
path  of  a  projectile — a 
fact  which,  like  a  flash  in 
the  dark,  reveals  two 
things :  the  poverty  of 
trained  officers,  and  the 
hazy  ideas  of  the  higher 
authorities. 

The  indirect  influence 
of  the  college  on  the  lead- 
ing officials  of  the  empire, 
and  through  them  on  the 
institutions  of  tlie  coun- 
try, has  not  been  incon- 
siderable. Its  principal 
achievement  in  the  last- 
named  direction  is  the 
introduction  (tliough  lim- 
ited) of  science  into  the 
civil-service  examinations.  This  measure,  decreed  in  1887, 
had  been  under  deliberation  for  twenty  years ;  go\-ernors  and 
viceroys  had  recommended  it.  but  it  was  not  adopted  until 
the  government  obtained,  through  our  college,  some  concep- 
tion of  the  nature  and  scope  of  modern  science. 

The  pa])ersof  successful  candidates  in  the  provinces  are  sent 
up  to  the  Tsuiigli  Yamen  for  reference  to  the  college,  and  those 
who  attain  tlie  third,  or  highest,  of  tlie  regular  degrees  (the 
doctorate)  are  made  fellows  in  the  Tungwen  College,  giving  it 
the  status  of  a  national  universitv. 


MR.    SHEN    TOH,    ENGLISH    TUTOR    TO   THE 
EMPEROR    (winter   DRESS). 


A. 


stcr  to  Japan  bcfure  the  war. 


THE    TUNG  WEN  COLLEGE  319 

Again  and  again  had  I  represented  to  the  cabinet  ministers 
the  desirabiHty  of  engrafting  science  on  the  civil-service  exami- 
nations. The  grand  secretary,  Paoyun,  rephed  that  it  would 
be  easy  if  once  decided  on.  "If  we  could  only  reverse  the 
order  of  the  three  trials,  making  the  third  first,  the  work  would 
be  done."  The  third  is  nominally  devoted  to  science,  but  so 
much  neglected  is  it  that  it  has  little  or  no  influence  on  the 
success  of  the  candidate.  Another  grand  secretary,  Shen- 
kwefen,  said  in  answer  to  my  advice  to  open  schools  for  science 
in  the  provinces,  "  We  shall  some  day  open  the  civil-service  ex- 
aminations to  the  sciences.  Students  will  then  find  masters  for 
themselves  just  as  they  do  in  their  literary  studies,  in  which  the 
government  rewards  proficiency  but  does  not  j^rovide  schools." 

In  two  instances  provincial  superintendents  of  education 
made  attempts  to  introduce  the  study  of  mathematics  with- 
out waiting  for  orders  from  the  throne.  As  early  as  1874 
Tufamcn,  the  "grandfather"  above  referred  to,  accompanied 
a  superintendent  to  Hunan  as  examiner  for  mathematics,  but 
no  candidates  offered.  In  1S85  a  call  for  mathematical  papers 
was  sent  out  by  the  superintendent  of  education  in  Shantung, 
and  a  few  were  received;  but  nothing  short  of  an  imperial  de- 
cree could  turn  the  mind  of  the  empire  into  a  new  channel.  In 
this  case  the  measure  is  so  cautiously  guarded  that  the  most 
conservative  can  hardly  object  to  it,  and  yet  it  admits  the  edge 
of  the  wedge.  In  the  end  it  is  sure  to  bring  about  an  intellec- 
tual revolution. 

The  object  of  the  college  in  its  primary  stage  was,  as  we 
have  said,  to  supply  interpreters ;  but  from  oral  interpretation 
to  the  higher  function  of  interpreting  the  literature  of  one  peo- 
ple for  the  benefit  of  another  is  a  natural  and  almost  a  neces- 
sary step.  When  I  took  charge  I  organized  a  corps  of  trans- 
lators, consisting  of  professors  and  advanced  students.  It  was 
appro^•ed  by  the  Yamen,  and  provision  was  made  for  reward- 
ing the  diligent  and  successful. 


320  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

The  works  translated  comprise,  not  to  mention  many  others, 
such  subjects  as  international  law,  political  economy,  chemis- 
try, natural  philosophy,  physical  geography,  history,  French  and 
English  codes  of  law,  anatomy,  physiology,  materia  medica, 
diplomatic  and  consular  guides,  etc.,  most  of  which  have  been 
issued  from  the  college  press  for  gratuitous  distribution  among 
the  officials  of  the  empire.  Such  works  are  a  lever  which,  with 
such  a  fulcrum,  must  move  something.  If  the  creator  of  a 
science  bores  an  artesian  well,  does  not  the  translator  lay  the 
pipes  for  irrigation? 

Many  years  ago  we  formed  a  medical  class,  which  was 
placed  under  Dr.  Dudgeon,  of  the  London  Mission,  who  was 
and  continues  to  be  the  best-known  practitioner  in  the  north- 
ern capital.  Laboring,  like  most  medical  missionaries,  chiefly 
for  the  impecunious,  the  doors  of  palaces  are  also  open  to  him. 
Aequo  pulsat  pede  reginn  tiirrcs,  Paupcni))ique  tabcrnas  {ahsit 
omen.').  The  Yamen  gave  him,  as  I  proposed,  the  title  of  pro- 
fessor, and  invited  him  to  lecture,  but  refused  to  permit  our 
students  to  receive  clinical  instruction  at  the  mission  hospital. 
Ten  years  were  thus  lost,  the  lectures  amounting  to  nothing 
more  than  the  communication  of  ideas  such  as  ought  to  form 
a  part  of  a  liberal  education.  A  change  of  ministry  occurring, 
I  again  proposed  that  the  class  should  receive  practical  instruc- 
tion at  the  hospital.  The  new  niinisters  consented,  but  they 
declined  to  expand  the  class  into  a  medical  school  for  fear  of 
encroaching  on  the  domain  of  the  Tai-i-Yuen,  an  effete  col- 
lege of  medicine  which  has  charge  of  the  emperor's  health  and 
is  supposed  to  possess  a  monopoly  of  medical  science.  "  The 
fact  is,"  said  a  leading  minister,  "I  do  not  myself  believe  in 
foreign  medicine."  Hence  the  want  of  any  provision  for 
the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  late  war,  a  want  which  had 
something  to  do  with  the  shameful  disc<jn:ifiture  of  the  Chinese 
troops. 

Of  all  the  sciences,  that  which  he  calls  "  foreign  medicine  " 


THE    TUNGIVEN  COLLEGE  321 

is  destined  to  effect  the  speediest  conquest.  Like  telegraph 
and  railway,  war  will  compel  its  adoption.  Soldiers  who  when 
wounded  are  left  to  perish  will  not  take  any  risks,  especially 
since  Confucius  lays  it  down  as  the  "  iirst  of  duties  to  return 
your  body  to  earth  complete  as  it  came  from  your  mother." 

The  viceroy  Li,  who  docs  believe  in  foreign  medicine,  opened 
a  school  for  military  surgery  two  years  ago— too  late,  however, 
to  be  of  much  service  in  the  war  with  Japan.  Native  practi- 
tioners cover  all  sorts  of  wounds  with  plasters ;  they  never 
amputate,  probably  out  of  deference  to  the  above-cited  maxim 
of  their  Sage,  which  requires  a  soldier  to  bring  home  a  whole 
skin.  For  the  same  reason  they  never  dissect  a  human  subject, 
and  scarcely  know  the  position  of  the  greater  viscera.  Yet  to 
cure  certain  diseases  they  do  not  hesitate  to  drive  a  needle 
through  the  body  where  it  is  liable  to  encounter  vital  organs. 
If  the  patient  dies  he  has  the  consolation  of  dying  entire.  In 
the  treatment  of  medical  diseases  an  experience  of  millenniums 
must  have  hit  on  a  number  of  useful  remedies  by  haphazard 
if  not  by  research  or  science,  but  most  of  their  medicines  are 
inert  and  some  of  them  inexpressibly  disgusting. 

Similia  similihiis  ciiraniur  is  with  them  an  old  saw.  A  writef 
in  my  employ,  who  was  suffering  from  the  itch,  calcined  a  toad 
and  drank  the  ashes — it  being  prescribed  probably  because  its 
warty  skin  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  disease.  When  I 
was  weakened  by  an  obstinate  cough  one  of  my  students  pre- 
sented me  with  a  pair  of  bear's  paws,  assuring  me  that  they 
are  a  sovereign  remedy  to  restore  strength.  For  rheumatism 
he  would  have  given  me  pills  made  of  the  sinews  of  a  deer. 
"  Poison  cures  poison  "  is  another  of  their  therapeutic  laws, 
which  places  many  a  life  in  jeopardy.  Hence  serpents  and 
insects  that  are  the  most  venomous  are  the  most  prized.  Of 
this  assertion  the  apologue  of  the  "  snake-catcher  "  *  is  part 
proof,  and  for  the  other  part  I  have  had  ocular  evidence,  hav- 

*  See  Chapter  VIII. 


32  2  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

ing  seen  them  catching  scorpions  for  medicine  with  lanterns 
at  night  among  tlie  ruins  of  old  houses.  "  Dried  scorpions" 
appear  in  the  customs  returns  of  Tientsin,  whence  they  are  ex- 
ported, not  to  foreign  countries,  but  to  other  parts  of  China. 

They  have  a  queer  way  of  classifying  diseases  according  to 
the  five  elements.  A  writer  attached  to  the  United  States  lega- 
tion, being  taken  with  fever  in  one  of  our  expeditions  to  the 
North,  said  that  it  was  caused  by  "  too  much  wood,"  and  that 
the  best  remedy  would  be  "  earth."  In  fact,  was  he  not  suf- 
fering from  life  on  shipboard?  and  would  he  not  be  cured  by 
life  on  land? 

For  extreme  cases  they  have  great  faith  in  medicines  derived 
from  the  human  body.  According  to  Dr.  Macgowan,  no  less 
than  thirty-two  of  its  parts  or  products  enter  into  the  materia 
medica  of  the  Chinese.  The  brain,  eyes,  gall,  liver,  are  spe- 
cially sought  for ;  and  a  frightful  massacre  of  foreigners  was 
once  caused  by  a  rumor  that  sisters  of  charity  were  decoying 
little  children  to  be  made  into  medicine.  Nor  is  this  merely 
a  superstition  of  the  vulgar.  A  governor  of  Jehol  (brother  of 
the  well-known  Chunghau)  reported  to  the  throne  that  a  vaga- 
bond being  detected  in  stealing  children's  eyes  to  make  into 
medicine,  he  had  caused  him  to  h^  summarilv  decapitated. 
Some  of  these  drugs  are  used  for  magical  purposes,  for  in 
China  magic  and  medicine  go  hand  in  hand.  Medical  mis- 
sions are  doing  much  to  dispel  a  superstition  so  dangerous  to 
the  peace  of  society.  1'hev  are  also  striving  to  raise  up  a 
native  faculty  to  supersede  the  quackery  of  the  old  school. 

Though  claiming  superiority  in  tlie  realm  of  "internal  dis- 
ease," the  Chinese  are  ready  enough  to  concede  our  skill  in 
"external"  or  surgical  cases.  I  was  once  telling  a  number  of 
mandarins  of  a  marvelous  o])erati()n  performed  by  Dr.  Dudgeon 
in  rem()\-iiig  a  tumor  from  a  voung  man's  throat.  "  Dh  yes," 
said  the  grand  secretary,  Shen.  "  I  know  all  about  that;  the 
patient  was  my  cousin." 


THE    TUXGWEX  COLLEGE  323 

Ceremony,  not  enjoined  but  spontaneous,  was  a  large  ele- 
ment in  our  college  life.  After  a  vacation  each  division,  clad 
in  festive  robes,  made  a  salaam  to  their  own  instructor,  and  all 
to  the  president.  After  leave  of  absence,  long  or  short,  each 
student  came  to  make  his  salaam,  and  the  same  in  more  elab- 
orate fashion  on  being  advanced  on  the  pay-roll  or  promoted 
in  the  mandarinic  scale. 

The  most  ceremonious  people  on  earth  are  the  Chinese. 
Their  "  ancient  kings,"  so  the  books  say,  "  shook  their  robes 
and  kept  the  world  in  order  " — a  display  of  gorgeous  vestments 
and  scenic  rites  impressing  their  vassals  with  religious  awe. 
Nor  is  the  ceremonial  of  a  court  function  less  imposing  at  the 
present  day. 

Ceremony  as  an  instrument  of  government  runs  through  the 
whole  framework  of  society.  One  of  the  six  departments  of 
state  is  a  board  of  rites.  It  includes  the  duties  of  a  ministry 
of  worship  and  education,  but  questions  of  state  ceremony  and 
official  etiquette  form  the  subject  of  its  gravest  deliberations. 
On  such  occasions  as  imperial  funerals  or  marriages,  it  issues 
a  program,  extending  to  the  size  of  a  volume.  That  of  the 
sixtieth  anniversary  of  the  empress  dowager  filled  two  such 
volumes,  covered  with  red  satin,  the  festive  color. 

A  book  containing  three  thousand  rules  of  etiquette  is  studied 
at  school,  so  that  a  well-bred  lad  always  knows  how  to  do  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time.  He  is  never  embarrassed,  but  goes 
through  the  prescribed  forms  as  a  soldier  does  his  drill.  For  each 
occasion  he  has  a  special  dress.  On  the  death  of  a  parent  he 
puts  on  white,  unbleached,  unadorned,  but  he  restrains  his  grief 
until  the  robe  is  properly  adjusted — and  then  he  howls.  If  he 
chance  to  meet  you  on  New-Year's  morning  he  offers  no  salu- 
tation unless  he  happens  to  be  in  proper  costume,  apologizing, 
and  promising  to  come  for  the  purpose  suital:)ly  attired,  inform- 
ing you  even  whose  robes  he  expects  to  borrow.  Robes  of 
ceremony  are  hired  for  the  occasion,  and  often  do  duty  for 


324  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

more  than  one  individual.  Two  or  more  drive  in  one  cart  from 
house  to  house,  one  going  in  and  making  his  obeisance  in  full 
dress,  while  the  others  wait  their  turn  at  the  door.  You  are 
amused  to  see  the  same  tasseled  cap  and  robe  of  sable  reap- 
pear at  intervals  of  a  few  minutes  with  different  face  and  figure. 

The  first  of  the  three  thousand  rules  is,  "  Let  your  face  and 
attitude  be  grave  and  thoughtful ;  "  the  second,  "  Let  your 
steps  be  deliberate  and  regular."  Our  students,  accordingly, 
deem  it  undignified  to  engage  in  gymnastics,  a  slow,  solemn 
walk  being  the  only  exercise  they  can  be  induced  to  take.  For 
them  there  are  no  rough-and-tumble  games  like  foot-ball  or 
cricket.  Another  rule  says,  "  If  rain  is  coming  take  it,  but  do 
not  quicken  your  pace."  A  scholar  who  prided  himself  on  his 
dignity  of  carriage  once  jumped  a  brook  to  escape  a  shower; 
when  finding  that  a  boy  had  witnessed  his  performance,  he 
gave  him  a  piece  of  money  and  exacted  a  promise  of  secrecy. 
Dignity  of  carriage  is  enforced  by  a  costume  that  impedes 
motion.  A  company  of  civil  mandarins,  with  satin  boots,  em- 
broidered vest,  cap  adorned  with  a  peacock's  plume,  and 
button  distinctive  of  rank,  would  make  a  sensation  in  the 
gayest  court  of  Europe. 

Among  our  students  all  the  nine  grades  are  represented  ex- 
cept the  first.  As  they  keep  their  caps  on  instead  of  holding 
them  in  the  lap  or  stuffing  them  in  their  pockets,  the  hall,  filled 
with  one  hundred  and  twenty  students  on  some  state  occasion, 
presents  a  decidedly  rcspectal)le  ap[)earance. 

Of  the  gaka  displays  that  have  occurred  in  the  history  of  the 
college  none  has  been  more  worthy  of  note  tlian  tlic  \-isit  of 
Cleneral  Cirant  in  1878.  The  college  being  attached  to  llie 
Yamen  (not  as  Thomson,  an  English  traveler,  has  it,  "  tlie 
Yamen  within  tlie  gates  of  the  college"),  it  was  arranged  that 
tin's  visit  -sliould  follow  lu's  reception  l)y  Prince  Kung,  wlio 
escorted  the  general  to  the  college  gate.  Our  students,  in  fes- 
tive costume,  looked  well  as  they  rose  to  receive  our  illustrious 


THE    TUNG  WEN  COLLEGE  325 

visitor.  One  of  tliem  read  on  their  behalf  an  address  com- 
posed by  himself,  and  presented  a  handsome  fan  as  a  souvenir 
of  the  occasion.  Contrary  to  his  wont,  General  Grant  rej)lied 
in  a  speech  of  considerable  length,  the  novelty  of  the  audience 
having  sufficed  to  loosen  the  tongue  of  the  silent  man.  In 
1894  the  Hon.  J.  W.  Foster,  late  Secretary  of  State,  was  re- 
ceived with  similar  honors. 

After  what  has  been  said  of  their  stifiF"  adherence  to  etiquette 
it  is  due  to  the  students  to  add  that  their  uniform  politeness 
to  me  was  the  effect  of  good  feeling,  not  of  ceremony.  On 
one  occasion  the  official  gazette  containing  an  uncomplimen- 
tary reference  to  foreigners,  the  students  took  pains  to  mutilate 
our  class-room  copy  before  it  came  into  my  hands.  Of  their 
feelings  I  was  not  always  quite  so  careful.  In  the  school  for 
interpreters  an  English  class  were  reading  a  book  of  descrip- 
tive geography,  when  they  came  on  a  passage  describing  the 
Chinese  as  of  a  "dirty  buff  color."  They  took  no  offense  at 
the  uncomplimentary  phrase,  but  I  regretted  that  I  had  not 
kept  an  eye  to  leeward. 

In  the  school-room  when  I  first  entered  on  duty  there  was 
a  placard  containing  sundry  regulations  and  forbidding  the 
teaching  of  the  Bible.  When  I  was  called  to  the  presidency 
this  was  removed  by  the  proctors,  leaving  me  free  to  use  my 
own  judgment.  Though  the  nature  of  the  institution  pre- 
cluded the  regular  teaching  of  religion,  I  always  felt  at  liberty 
to  speak  to  the  students  on  the  subject,  and  requested  profes- 
sors not  to  allow  their  classes  to  skip  the  religious  lessons  in 
their  reading-books.  A  favorite  subject  for  discussion  was  the 
creeds  of  the  pagan  and  Christian  Avorlds.  They  usually  treated 
it  more  intelligently  than  a  Chinese  \\\  his  book  of  travels,  who, 
returning  from  the  West,  stated  that  the  principal  sects  in  the 
United  States  were  the  SJiaykeer  and  Kwaykcer  (Shakers  and 
Quakers). 

Though  deterred  from  professing  Christianity  by  social  con- 


326 


.-/    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


siderations  or  lest  it  should  prejudice  their  official  career,  most 
of  them  gave  it  their  intellectual  assent,  frequently  expressing 
in  writing  or  otherwise  a  belief  that  a  time  would  come  when 
it  will  supersede  Buddhism  and  Taoism.  They  never  hinted 
that  it  will  supersede  Confucianism,  for  they  are  all  Confucian- 
ists.  While  they  are  wont  to  ridicule  the  superstitions  of  the 
people,  they  entertain  a  profound  reverence  for  their  great  Sage 
as  a  Heaven-sent  prophet.  When  China  accepts  Christianity 
the  Confucian  star  will  pale,  but  not  disappear. 

One  of  the  students  came  to  my  house  one  day  to  beg  me 
to  invite  a  foreign  doctor  to  see  his  mother.  Falling  on  his 
knees  and  knocking  his  head  on  the  ground,  he  vowed  that  he 
"  would  be  a  missionary  "  if  God  would  spare  her  life.     She 

died,  and  he  did  not  be- 
come a  "  missionary." 
The  same  young  man,  on 
the  eve  of  going  abroad 
as  interpreter  to  a  lega- 
tion, coming  to  take 
leave,  Mrs.  Martin  cau- 
tioned him  against  the 
vices  and  seductions  of 
Paris.  "  1  laxen't  I  read 
the  story  of  Joseph  ?  " 
he  re})lied.  "  Do  you 
think  I  would  yield  to 
tcm[)tati()ns  like  that?  " 
To  the  credit  of  the 
Chinese  ministers  be  it 
said,  the  creed  of  a 
student  never  seemed  to 
make  any  difference  in  his  official  prospects.  Mr.  T(~hing,  who 
has  liad  a  brilliant  career  in  klurnpc,  being  more  than  once 
iliar<^i'  iPaJJaiius  in  Paris,  is  a  Roman  Catholic  of  old  family — 


MK.   T(  lllNG,   Will'.    AM) 


THE    TUNG  W EX  COLLEGE 


327 


a  Christian  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name.  Two  or  three  Moham- 
medans have  obtained  good  appointments,  one  having  been 
consnl  in  Japan. 

Such  success  as  the  college  has  achieved  has  been  the  fruit 
of  a  long  struggle  with  obstinate  conservatism.  Unlike  the 
Japanese,  who  adopted  the  Western  system  in  all  their  schools 
from  kindergarten  to  university,  the  Chinese  were  so  well  satis- 
fied with  their  old  style  of  education  that  they  never  dreamed 
of  reforming  or  supplementing  it  to  any  great  extent.  The  col- 
lege was  established  as  a  concession  to  the  demands  of  a  new 
situation  —  to  supply  a  limited  number  of  trained  ofificials,  not 
to  renovate  the  whole  mandarinate.  Deep  and  permanent  as 
its  influence  must  be,  how  much  grander  would  be  its  destiny 
if  it  were  made  the  starting-point  of  a  new  departure !  In  found- 
ing it  Prince  Kung  and  his  associates  confessed  themselves  in- 
fluenced by  the  action  of  Japan.  Now  that  the  schoolmaster 
has  conquered,  under  the  uniform  of  the  soldier,  will  they  not 
extend  the  system  and  place  the  whole  education  of  the  empire 
on  a  new  basis?     The  future  of  China  depends  on  it. 


'^•fiW^Wtft -^^  r^  <4f^^ate«*w«f«««!»£'<4    *''$T{-*^,'v'tC- 


F^^^^f^^^^^^^™^ 


ll«Hi6IHtii  >ii<i«it'iW»tiM»imiMmni*l«»| 


ALTAR    OF    HEA\E\.      (m  t.    lAGE    242.) 


CHAPTER    VIII 

MANDARINS  AND  GOVERNMENT — THE  TSUNGLI  YAMEN 

Mandarins  not  a  caste— Their  grades,  their  training,  their  virtues  and 
defects— Independence  of  the  people — Limitations  of  monarchy — 
Formation  and  character  of  the  Yanien  — Strange  recruits 

IN  forty  years'  intercourse  with  Chinese  officialdom  I  became 
acquainted  with  mandarins  of  all  grades,  civil  and  military, 
from  policemen  to  princes.  The  average  foreigner  takes  a  man- 
darin to  be  a  sort  of  Brahman  of  a  superior  caste,  exalted  and 
peculiar.  But  in  Chinese  society  there  is  no  unalterable  strati- 
fication, nor  is  there  outside  of  the  Tartars  any  class  possessed 
of  hereditary  privileges  ;  for  the  orders  of  nobility  recently  con- 
ferred on  a  few  of  those  who  supported  the  government  in  its 
struggle  with  rebellion,  and  two  or  three  who  previously  en- 
joyed such  distinction  as  representatives  of  ancient  sages,  are 
not  sufficient  to  constitute  a  class. 

"  Ministers  and  generals  are  not  born  in  office,"  is  a  saying 
constantly  cited  to  encourage  the  aspirations  of  youth.  They 
are  told  without  reserve  that  by  learning  and  wisdom  they 
may  rise  to  the  one,  or  by  feats  of  valor  attain  to  the  other. 
In  theory  there  is  no  road  to  office  but  the  thorny  path  of  com- 
petition. A  government  that  makes  tin's  the  rule  is  i)ure.  One 
that  sets  it  aside  even  partial!}' is  l)randed  as  corrupt.  Such,  in 
popular  estimation,  is  coining  to  l)e  the  character  of  the  Ta- 
tsing,  or  ''Great  Pure,"  d_\'nastv,  because  witln'n  tlie  last  forty 
years  it  has  declined  from  the  standard  of  earlier  reigns,  in 

328 


MANDARINS  AND    GOVERNMENT  329 

every  season  of  distress  from  war  or  famine  replenishing  its 
exchequer  by  the  sale  of  honors  or  office.  Yet  so  cautiously 
is  this  done  that  not  one  in  ten  of  the  mandarins  owes  his  ele- 
vation to  direct  purchase. 

The  commonest  form  of  purchase  is  that  of  the  privilege  of 
competing  for  higher  degrees  without  passing  through  lower 
grades.  Where  actual  office  is  brought  into  market  it  is  gen- 
erally coupled  with  the  condition  that  applicants  must  have 
gained  one  or  two  degrees  in  the  regular  way.  In  either  case 
a  certain  respect  is  paid  to  the  competitive  system,  so  that  peo- 
ple have  not  wholly  lost  confidence  in  it  nor  ceased  to  stake 
on  it  the  labor  of  a  lifetime. 

This  is  a  democratic  feature  in  the  Chinese  constitution,  in 
theory  offering  to  all  the  inspiration  of  equal  opportunity,  and 
it  still  exerts  an  incredible  influence  in  promoting  education 
and  maintaining  loyalty.  But  in  their  official  forms  there  is 
nothing  democratic.  No  officer,  high  or  low,  is  chosen  by  the 
suffrages  of  his  fellows ;  all  are  appointed  by  the  emperor,  and 
from  that  hour  they  constitute  a  body  apart.  They  spring  from 
the  people,  but  they  do  not,  as  with  us,  revert  to  the  people ; 
for,  barring  crime  or  blunder,  they  are  in  the  public  service  for 
life.  If  once  in  office,  real  or  nominal,  money,  flattery,  fam- 
ily connections,  and  sometimes  ability,  will  serve  to  open  the 
road  to  further  advancement.  China  is  in  this  respect  no  ex- 
ception to  the  common  experience. 

"  This  mournful  trutli  is  everywhere  confessed: 
Slow  rises  worth  by  poverty  depressed." 

To  render  the  segregation  of  its  mandarins  more  complete 
the  government  inculcates  a  code  of  official  manners  and  im- 
poses an  embargo  on  intercourse  with  the  untitled  vulgar.  I 
have  known  men  casliiered  on  that  ground,  though  it  usually 
covers  graver  charges,  such  as  that  of  engaging  in  trade,  which 
to  the  whole  mandarinate  is  strictly  prohibited.    So  distinct  are 


330  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

they  from  the  people  tliat  a  special  name  like  nhvidarin  (which 
is  Portuguese  for  qi/a/i,  "ruler"')  seems  not  inai)propriate. 

Mandarins,  whether  civil  or  military,  are  divided  into  nine 
grades,  distinguished  by  a  globular  stone  or  button,  that  shines 
on  the  apex  of  a  conical  cap  like  a  gilded  ball  on  a  church 
spire.*  Their  long  silken  vestments  are  in  case  of  civil  servants 
embroidered  with  birds  of  gentle  disposition  and  tuneful  note  ; 
for  the  military  they  are  emblazoned  with  ferocious  beasts  of 
prey.  In  any  further  remarks  I  shall  confine  myself  to  the 
former,  partly  because  my  ex|)eriences  have  been  chiefly  among 
them,  pardy  because  in  China  the  civil  service  is  the  more  im- 
portant. The  low  estimation  in  which  the  military  are  held 
accounts  in  some  measure  for  the  misfortunes  that  have  lately 
overtaken  the  empire.  ]\Iilitar\'  mandarins  are  mostly  illiter- 
ate, the  ground  of  selection  in  preliminarv  tests  being  feats  of 
strength,  skill,  and  agility,  such  as  throwing  a  hundred-pound 
stone,  fixing  an  arrow  in  a  bull's-eye,  or  turning  a  double  som- 
ersault. I  have  known  some  who  possessed  the  strength — and 
the  intelligence  —  of  an  ox. 

A  mandarin's  first  privilege  is  exemption  from  torture.  When 
therefore  it  is  thougiit  desirable  to  extort  a  confession  from 
one,  even  of  the  humblest,  it  is  necessary  to  obtain  an  imperial 
decree  stripping  him  of  his  official  cap,  which,  like  the  magic 
ca|)  of  Siegfried,  shields  him  from  violence.  It  is  derogatory 
to  the  dignity  of  a  mandarin  to  go  afoot.  The  militarvarc  re- 
(|uired  to  mount  a  horse,  while  ci\"ilians  are  carried  in  a  sedan 
or  a  cart,  a  usage  older  than  Confucius,  who,  when  asked  to 
sell  his  carriage  for  a  charitable  object,  re[)lied  llial  "being  a 
mandarin  he  could  not  go  on  foot."  A  sedan  with  two  l)c'ar- 
ers  may  be  enjoyed  by  any  one  who  can  pay  for  it;  but  prior 
to  England's  first  proof  of  ]MT)wess  foreigners  made  use  of  it  at 
the  risk  of  being  dropped  in  the  street  if  ihev  met  a  mandarin. 
A  chair  with  four  is  what  all  mandarins  are  entitled  to  in  the 

*  See  p.  151. 


ALLYDAKLXS  AXD    COll.KXM KXT  331 

jn-ovinces,  but  only  the  higliest  in  tlic  cajiital,  wliere  all  others 
nuist  he  content  with  carts,  or,  in  lieu  thereof,  must  take  a 
horse  or  mule  —  never  a  donkey,  the  royal  beast  of  Palestine 
being  in  Peking  so  irredeemably  plebeian  that  no  resj)ectal)Ie 
native  will  venture  to  ride  it  within  the  walls. 

When  mandarins,  no  matter  of  what  rank,  enter  the  sacred 
]M-ecinct  of  the  "  forbitlden  city  "  the  awe  of  niajestv  falls  upon 
them,  and  they  all  come  down  to  their  feet,  unless  by  sjiecial 
favor  they  arc  granted  a  liorse  or  a  chair  and  two,  an  honor 
conferred  only  on  the  aged  or  the  meritorious. 

Civil  mandarins  are  always  men  of  education,  and  being, 
with  rare  exceptions,  tlie  jiick  of  a  thousand  or  it  may  be  of 
ten  thousand,  thev  are  men  of  keen  intellect,  the  flower  of  their 
country's  culture.  I'he  "  Pook  of  Rites,"  with  its  three  thou- 
sand rules,  being  one  of  their  text-books,  they  are  ait  fait  in  ordi- 
narv  politeness,  to  say  nothing  of  official  etiquette.  But  for  a 
foreigner  to  appreciate  the  charm  of  their  manners  he  must  go 
through  the  same  discipline  and  form  his  taste  by  the  same 
standards.  ^Nfanners  are  their  strong,  or  rather,  I  should  say, 
their  weak  point;  for  they  are  prone  to 

"  Polisli  up  the  knocker  of  the  great  front  door  " 

to  the  neglect  of  the  furniture  within.  Possessing  very  little 
general  knowledge,  they  are  absolutely  witliout  the  essential 
recpu'rcments  for  special  duties.  I  have  known  a  man  fill,  suc- 
cessively, a  post  of  presiding  ofi^icer  in  five  out  of  the  six  chief 
departments  of  state,  in  which  that  of  rites  or  ceremonies  was 
the  onlv  one  whose  business  he  had  ever  studied.  \\\\\  should 
he  take  the  trouble  to  learn  the  business  of  any  one  office  when 
he  knows  that  each  is  onlv  a  stepping-stone  to  something  be- 
yond? After  all,  are  there  not  clerks  to  keep  the  Yamen  run- 
ning? These  clerks,  with  ox  without  degrees,  are  the  real  ri;lers 
though  not  mandarins,  each  having  a  specialty  in  which  he  be- 


S3^  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

comes  expert.    Without  them  tlie  government  of  a  district,  not 
to  say  of  the  empire,  would  be  impossible. 

To  become  a  mandarin  in  the  regular  way  a  man  must  go 
through  the  prescribed  curriculum  and  win  its  higher  honors. 
A  student  fresh  from  the  schools  by  a  well-written  essay  wins 
the  third  degree  and  is  rewarded  with  the  governorship  of  a 
district  city.  Here  he  is  "  father  and  mother  to  the  people," 
and  sits  under  a  canopy  inscribed  with  the  words,  "  Ye  all  are 
my  children."  His  duties  are  as  multifarious  as  those  of  the 
head  of  a  household.  He  directs  the  police,  collects  the  taxes, 
inspects  the  schools,  superintends  the  public  charities,  attends 
to  the  interests  of  agriculture,  holds  inquests,  and  his  spare 
time,  if  he  has  any,  is  given  to  the  functions  of  a  judge  in  a 
court  of  first  instance  —  all  this  without  other  training  than  that 
which  comes  from  experience.  His  salary  is  miserably  small; 
three  hundred  dollars  perhaps,  with  an  allowance  of  three 
times  as  much  to  "  c/icflumgr  f>ivl>ity."  Xotwithstanding  this 
suggestive  inducement  he  ekes  out  his  income  bv  irregular 
methods,  some  of  which  are  sanctioned  l)y  custom  and  some 
practised  though  not  sanctioned.  If  they  grow  rich,  the  fact 
is  proof  of  peculation,  and  thev  are  liable  to  l)c  compelled  to 
disgorge,  as  Peking  pigeons  are  made  to  empty  their  crops 
after  filling  them  at  tlie  public  granaries.  Chang  Chewan,  a 
cabinet  minister,  was  not  long  ago  called  on  to  exjilain  the  cir- 
cumstance that  a  l)ag  of  silver  had  been  seen  entering  his 
gate  ;  and  ^\'en  \\\,  another  cabinet  minister,  ha\-ing  lost  three 
hundred  thousand  ounces  bv  the  failure  of  a  bank,  was  cited 
before  the  emjjcror  to  render  an  a(~(~ount  of  the  methods  by 
wliicli  he  had  amassed  so  great  a  fortune.  "  Mav  it  please 
your  Majesty,"  he  said,  "  tlial  little  pittance  was  all  due  to  the 
favor  of  vour  ancestors,  and  it  was  all  I  was  able  to  save  in 
thirtv  vears  of  ])ub]ic  service."  \  merchant  mav  keep  his 
wealth,  but  not  a  mandarin,  unless  he  conceals  it  with  great 
skill. 


MAXDAKIXS  AXD    GOVERXMENT  t^t^t, 

Mayoralties  are  divided  into  four  classes,  nominally  from  the 
importance  of  the  post,  really  from  the  amount  of  probable 
emolument — some  of  them  yielding,  under  skilful  cultivation, 
from  sixty  to  a  hundred  thousand  taels  per  annum.  Enjoying 
a  respectable  revenue  and  ruling  with  the  authority  of  a  little 
king,  a  mayor  has  reason  to  be  satisfied  even  if  he  does  not 
grow  into  a  taotai,  or  prefect.  "  I  would  rather  be  a  mayor 
in  China  than  President  of  the  United  States,"  said  a  Chinese 
charge  cV affaires  to  me  when  he  saw  our  chief  magistrate  rele- 
gated to  private  life. 

In  a  country  where  there  is  no  free  press  and  no  ballot-box 
the  district  mandarins  enjoy  an  almost  autocratic  immunity 
from  interference.  So  general  is  the  tendency  to  make  the 
most  of  their  opportunities  that  Chinese  writers  assert  that 
among  them  corruption  is  the  rule,  and  integrity  the  exception. 
Passing  by  a  lonely  mountain,  Confucius  heard  the  wail  of  a 
woman.  Inquiring  the  cause  of  her  grief,  he  was  told  that 
her  husband  and  son  had  been  eaten  by  tigers.  "  Why  do  you 
live  in  such  a  place?  "  asked  the  Sage.  "We  came  here,"  she 
replied,  "  to  be  free  from  exactions."  "  Mark  that,  my  chil- 
dren," said  the  Sage,  turning  to  his  disciples  ;  "  evil  officers  are 
more  dreaded  than  tigers."  This  is  from  an  ancient  book,  but 
it  is  constantly  cited  as  applicable  to  the  present  day. 

In  the  same  vein  a  modern  writer,  who  lived  a  little  more 
than  a  thousand  years  ago,  tells  of  a  family  who,  to  be  free 
from  oppression  by  mandarins,  chose  to  dwell  in  a  dismal 
swamp  and  subsist  by  catching  snakes  for  medicine.  Good 
officers  do  exist,  nevertheless.  Witness  the  boots  now  and 
then  to  be  seen  hanging  at  a  city  gate — I  have  myself  seen 
such— left  there  by  a  departing  magistrate,  at  the  request  of 
the  people,  as  a  hint  that  his  successor  should  walk  in  his  steps. 
Witness  also  innumerable  anecdotes  such  as  the  following : 

A  poor  woman  appealed  for  help  to  a  new  magistrate. 

"  What  do  you  wish  me  to  do  for  you,  my  good  dame?  " 


334  ^i    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

"  The  fame  of  your  honor  has  come  in  advance.  You 
always  pity  the  poor,  and  I  have  been  told  you  will  give  every 
poor  family  a  donkey." 

"  I  shall  think  about  that ;  but  while  I  am  thinking  you 
may  go  out  and  buy  me  a  pound  of  salt." 

AVhen  the  salt  came  he  learned  that  the  woman  had  to  pay 
for  it  three  times  the  regulation  price.  Sending  for  the  shop- 
keeper, he  imposed  a  fine,  which  he  handed  over  to  the  wo- 
man, saying,  "  Now  go  and  buy  your  donkey." 

The  predatory  tendencies  of  provincial  magistrates  are  ag- 
gravated by  the  fact  that  they  are  strangers  from  abroad,  the 
law  forbidding  them  to  take  up  a  post  within  two  hundred 
miles  of  their  birthplace  or  to  form  marriage  ties  of  any  kind 
within  their  districts.  As  a  device  for  making  the  mandarinate 
wholly  dependent  on  their  sovereign  nothing  could  be  better. 
They  have  no  local  attachments,  no  home  except  a  cradle  and 
a  grave,  and  in  their  perambulatory  movements  they  are  not 
permitted  to  stop  at  one  post  long  enougli  to  ac(]uire  an  influ- 
ence which  might  become  a  danger.  Toward  the  people  its 
aspect  appears  to  be  benevolent,  securing  impartiality  in  ad- 
ministration and  protecting  them  from  the  tyranny  of  great 
houses,  who  would  otherwise  usurj)  the  local  government.  It 
has,  however,  the  disadvantage  of  delivering  them  into  the 
hands  of  strangers,  who,  as  their  tenure  is  brief,  do  not  scruj)le 
to  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines. 

If  it  l)e  asked  why  the  people  submit  to  such  a  system,  I 
answer,  because  on  the  whole  it  works  to  their  advantage. 
The  family  council,  in  which  disputes  are  settled  and  crime 
sometimes  punished,  serves,  moreover,  as  a  buffer  between 
them  and  their  magistrates. 

The  framework  of  Chinese  socictv  rests  on  ;^  pdtria  pctrstds 
as  extreme  as  thai  of  ancieiU  Komi',  l^'lial  pietv,  wln'cli  means 
paternal  authority,  is  llie  i;i'ouiul-hiw  of  tlie  empire,  'i'lie  licad 
of  the  family  is  a  diminutive  type  of  the  di\inely  app(jinted 


MAxnAN/xs  Axn  goj-J':kxa//:xt  335 

head  of  the  state.  Sons  and  grandsons,  instead  of  being  scat- 
tered to  the  winds  by  a  centrifugal  force,  are  expected  to  cleave 
to  the  ancestral  tree,  and,  banian-like,  take  root  in  its  shade. 
The  family  is  therefore  more  complex  than  with  us,  the  grand- 
sire  reigning  over  it  with  the  power  of  a  monarch,  thrashing  or 
maltreating  his  offspring,  who  continue  to  be  minors  as  long  as 
he  lives.  When  several  such  units  of  one  stock  are  combined 
in  a  class,  with  temple,  cemetery,  and  glebe-lands  in  common, 
the  power  of  their  elders  is  such  that  if  they  do  not  defy  the 
magistrate  they  can  at  least  dispense  with  his  services.  They 
do  not  shrink  in  certain  cases  from  inflicting  a  death-penalty. 
I  have  known  a  youth  to  be  drowned  by  order  of  such  a  coun- 
cil;  prodigals  and  other  incorrigible  offenders  are  sometimes 
buried  alive,  care  being  taken  in  such  cases  that  the  corpse 
shall  bear  no  trace  of  a  wound ;  otherwise  ofhcial  interference 
will  be  inevitable. 

There  is  no  country  like  China  for  home  rule  of  this  descrip- 
tion, and  it  extends  to  villages,  especially  where  they  consist 
of  one  or  more  clans.  Schooled  in  these  patriarchal  institu- 
tions, the  people  in  rural  districts  grow  up)  wath  a  thorough  in- 
difference, if  nothing  worse,  toward  their  mandarins;  nor  be- 
yond the  payment  of  a  moderate  tax  do  they  concern  them- 
selves al)out  the  government.  It  is  said  of  the  Emperor  Yao, 
who  lived  four  thousand  years  ago,  that,  being  on  a  tour  of 
inspection,  he  heard  an  old  man  singing  to  the  sound  of  his 
lute: 

"  I  plow  n)y  ground  and  eat, 
I  dig  my  well  and  drink  ; 
For  king  or  emperor 
What  use  have  I?  " 

An  emperor  of  the  present  day,  if  he  made  such  tours,  might 
in  many  a  place  have  the  same  experience,  and,  like  the  ven- 
erable Vao,  rejoice  to  be  forgotten. 

So  far  are  the  Chinese  from  presenting  the  aspect  of  an  op- 


336  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

pressed  people,  that  no  people  in  the  world  are  more  exempt 
from  official  interference.  You  might  spend  days  in  a  Chi- 
nese town  without  seeing  a  policeman.  Every  man  seems 
free  to  do  what  is  right  in  his  own  eyes.  He  throws  his  gar- 
bage in  the  street,  and  no  one  calls  him  to  account.  He  stops 
his  cart  in  the  street,  and  everybody  turns  out  without  com- 
plaining. In  most  places,  though  not  in  the  capital,  on  the 
occurrence  of  a  marriage  or  funeral,  in  both  which  the  festivi- 
ties last  for  several  days,  he  may  enlarge  his  house  by  taking 
in  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  street ;  and  other  people  submit 
to  the  inconvenience,  knowing  that  time  and  circumstance  will 
bring  their  revenge. 

The  legal  imposts  are  not  oppressive,  and  if  a  greedy  officer 
ventures  to  add  too  much  to  the  burden,  the  people  may  peti- 
tion for  his  removal  or,  in  extreme  cases,  band  together  for 
armed  resistance.  Resistance  on  a  large  scale  becomes  rebel- 
lion, which  mav  lead  to  revolution.  It  is  not  a  little  singular 
that  the  very  books  that  consecrate  the  rights  of  kings  make 
provision  for  this  last  remedy.  The  right  of  rebellion  is  taught 
and  enforced  by  the  example  of  holy  sages  who  took  up  arms 
to  deliver  the  people  from  tyranny.  The  monarch  rules  by  the 
will  of  Heaven,  but  Heaven's  will  is  manifested  through  the 
people.  ("  Heaven  hears  through  the  ears  of  my  people,"  said 
the  wise  Shun.)  If  through  his  misconduct  their  hearts  are  al- 
ienated his  commission  is  forfeited  and  their  allegiance  may  be 
transferred  to  another.  Tii'/i  i/ii/i:^  ivu  c/iaiii:;  ("  The  divine  right 
does  not  last  forever"),  say  the  holy  books. 

It  is  thus  that  dynasties  are  changed,  and  the  title  of  a  new 
one  when  oncx'  estal)lishe(l  is  as  good  as  that  of  its  {)redecess()r. 
The  transfer  of  power  is  not  made,  however,  without  a  terrible 
sacrifice  of  life.  History  counts  twcntv-four  dynasties  in  about 
four  thousand  years,  making  a  long  average  of  comparative 
tran(|uillity.  Reigning  bv  the  will  of  Heaven,  the  em])eror  is 
of  course  absolute  in  theory,  but  in  practice  no  ruler  of  any 


MANDARIN'S  AND    GOVERNMENT  337 

country  is  less  capricious  or  tyrannical.  In  the  absence  of 
constitutional  limitations,  this  is  secured  by  a  careful  system  of 
education,  which  aims  at  three  things  :  first,  to  imbue  him  with 
a  sense  of  responsibility  to  the  Sovereign  of  the  universe  and 
to  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors ;  second,  to  inspire  him  with  re- 
spect for  existing  institutions ;  and  third,  to  instruct  him  how 
to  employ  the  machinery  of  government.  He  rarely  abolishes 
any  portion  of  that  machinery,  however  effete  or  obsolete ; 
nor  does  he  readily  consent  to  any  addition  that  may  have  the 
appearance  of  innovation.  Barnacles  accumulate,  and  the  hull 
of  the  ship  is  never  scraped. 

In  the  general  administration  the  leading  departments  are 
six,  viz.,  the  boards  of  civil  office,  of  war  (or  military  office),  of 
rites  (or  education  and  religion),  of  justice,  of  finance,  of  pub- 
lic works.  Any  question  coming  before  the  emperor,  no  mat- 
ter through  what  channel,  is  not  likely  to  be  decided  without 
many  formalities  and  much  deliberation.  In  ordinary  matters 
he  indorses  the  document  with  the  words,  "  Let  the  proper 
board  take  cognizance,"  in  which  case  its  action  is  definitive. 
If  the  indorsement  says,  "  Let  the  proper  board  report,"  a 
more  careful  investigation  is  assured,  but  the  emperor  almost 
uniformly  sanctions  the  advice  of  the  board.  The  cases  in 
which  he  departs  from  it  are  mostly  those  that  relate  to  re- 
wards or  punishments,  in  which  he  displays  his  sovereign  pre- 
rogative in  acts  of  generosity  or  mercy.  In  matters  of  ex- 
treme moment  all  six  of  the  boards  are  sometimes  required  to 
consult,  aided  by  several  other  metropolitan  tribunals.  The 
collective  wisdom  of  this  august  parliament  is  never  rejected ; 
the  emperor  conforms  to  it  as  the  best  means  for  securing  the 
support  of  his  people.  Besides  responsibility  to  Heaven  and 
the  people  he  is  taught  to  feel  himself  answerable  at  the  bar  of 
history,  his  daily  words  and  acts  l)eing  noted  by  official  scribes, 
who  dog  his  footsteps  like  a  shadow. 

Though  I  had  seen  much  of  official  Hfe  at  Ningpo  and  dur- 


338  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

ing  our  expeditions  to  the  North,  it  was  in  connection  with  the 
Tsungh'  Yamen  that  I  had  the  best  opportunity  for  studying 
the  Chinese  mandarin.  This  is  a  new  tribunal,  called  into  exis- 
tence to  meet  the  necessities  of  intercourse  under  new  condi- 
tions. Among  the  six  boards  there  was  no  portfolio  of  foreign 
affairs  ;  the  nearest  approach  to  it  was  a  colonial  office  outside 
of  the  six  called  Lifanyuen.  To  that  office  all  foreign  affairs 
had  been  referred — all  Western  nations  who  had  sent  embassies 
being  inscribed  on  its  books  as  tributaries.  When  they  came 
as  conquerors  and  stipulated  for  intercourse  on  equal  terms  a 
new  vessel  was  required  to  hold  the  new  wine  of  equality  and 
fraternity.  The  Tsungli  Yamen  was  invented.  It  was,  how- 
ever, an  evolution  from  the  colonial  office.  The  second  syllable, 
//,  which  signifies  control,  serves  to  connect  it  with  the  latter 
in  a  way  characteristic  of  Chinese  conservatism  and  soothing 
to  Chinese  pride. 

Launched  in  1861  on  a  small  scale,  with  three  ministers 
under  the  presidency  of  Prince  Kung,  it  expanded  until  it  now 
counts  in  ordinary  eight  or  nine  ministers  and  as  many  under- 
secretaries, or  chiefs  of  bureaus.  Under  these,  again,  are  an- 
army  of  assistants,  exclusi\-e  of  scribes  who  are  not  in  the  line 
of  promotion.  In  this  service  promotion  is  more  rapid  than 
in  any  other — possibly  because  it  is  deemed  dangerous  or  dis- 
agreeable to  have  anything  to  do  with  foreign  affairs  —  and 
every  under-secretary  or  assistant  is  entitled  to  expect  a  step 
in  advance  once  in  three  years.  It  thus  happens  that  scliolars 
of  the  second  or  third  degree  (for  no  otlTcrs  are  admitted),  who 
enter  the  Yamen  as  ai)j)rentices,  are  in  about  ten  or  twelve  years 
graduated  as  j)refects,  or  taotais,  or  drafted  off  to  legations  as 
secretaries,  to  be  promoted  to  a  chargeship  or  ministership  ac- 
cording to  tart,  talent,  and  a  judicious  ajjjilication  of  palm-oil. 

The  president  oi  the  Tungwen  College,  wIkj  maintains  a 
direct  correspondence  with  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  is  brought  at 
all  points  into  contact  with  this  phalanx  of  mandarins.     Be- 


TSUNGLI    Ya.ME^'    and    MINISTERS    OF    Sta.TE. 
SHEN.  TUNG.  MAO. 


MAADJA'/XS   AXD    GOM-.RXM KXT  339 

sides  elaborate  entertainments  at  the  Yamen,  to  which  the  in- 
cumbent of  the  otfice  is  often  invited  by  princes  and  other  high 
dignitiiries,  some  of  the  ministers  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
attending  the  examinations  of  the  college,  and  it  has  been  the 
present  writer's  duty  to  dine  with  them  at  the  college  four  or 
five  times  in  the  year,  and  on  business  to  meet  some  of  them 
every  day  in  the  week.  Tliese  ministers  comprise  most  of  the 
heads  of  the  six  boards  and  always  two  members  of  the  impe- 
rial cabinet.  They  have  daily  access  to  the  throne,  and,  col- 
lectively, form  the  most  powerful  tribunal  in  the  empire,  issu- 
ing orders  to  viceroys,  and  able  at  the  same  time  to  enforce 
them  if  they  choose  to  do  so.  The  emperor  always  complies 
with  their  request  when  they  assure  him  that  there  is  no  other 
way  out  of  a  difficulty.  It  is  accordinglv  far  easier  for  them 
to  procure  the  removal  of  a  refractory  vicerov  than  it  is  for  the 
governments  of  England  or  the  United  States  to  impose  their 
will  on  Australia  or  California  in  matters  touching  the  Chinese. 
Yet  it  is  surprising  to  see  how  patiently  they  sometimes  brook 
opposition.  Formerly  it  was  the  regular  thing  for  the  frontier 
authorities  to  refuse  to  recognize  their  passports  for  travel  in 
Tibet.  I  remember  to  have  seen  a  complaint  on  that  head 
addressed  in  German  to  Prince  Kung  by  an  Hungarian  count. 
He  had  shown  his  passport  to  General  Tso,  viceroy  of  the 
Northwest,  who  was  carrying  on  war  with  the  rebels  of  Kash- 
gar.  The  old  general  flouted  the  mandate  of  the  Yamen  and 
])ut  himself  in  open  rebellion  against  it.  Hicr  bin  icJi  dcr  Jlerr; 
das  Yainrn  Jiaf  iiicJits  in  )ueinem  Gehictc  zn  f/ti/ri,*  was  his  an- 
swer to  the  application,  and  the  Yamen  took  the  rebuff  more 
patientlv  tlian  tlie  count. 

Toward  all  propositions  coming  from  the  representative  of 
a  foreign  power  their  normal  attitude  was  tliat  of  opposition,  a 
position  from  wliicli  tliev  wci"e  onlv  to  l)e  dislodged  bv  a  pro- 
tracted siege.      It  was  accordingly  surmised  that  the  machine 

*   "  I  am  iiiastt-r  liert- ;  tlie  Yamen  lias  iiotliing  to  du  in  my  jurisdiction." 


34°  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

had  been  contrived  on  the  principle  of  a  micrometer-screw,  to 
minimize  motion,  not  to  expedite  business.  In  some  instances 
a  foreigner,  weary  of  waiting  for  the  council  to  assemble  a 
quorum  and  come  to  an  understanding  among  themselves, 
posted  off  to  Tientsin  and  got  what  he  wanted  in  an  hour  from 
the  viceroy  Li  Hung  Chang,  who  had  special  powers,  making 
a  change  of  venue  both  possible  and  politic.  Proud  of  his 
promptitude,  the  viceroy  was  once  scoffing  at  the  Yamen's 
diplomacy  as  decidedly  slow,  when  I  said,  "  It  is  precisely  the 
case  of  the  two  dragons :  the  one  with  nine  heads  is  no  match 
for  the  one  with  nine  tails.  The  former  looks  formidable,  but  the 
latter  can  slip  through  a  thicket  in  half  the  time."  His  Excel- 
lency perceived  the  application,  and  his  tall  form  grew  taller  as  he 
seemed  to  feel  his  superiority  to  the  composite  body  at  Peking. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  Yamen  all  foreign  powers  were  in- 
clined to  be  dictatorial,  particularly  those  which  so  lately  had 
China  at  their  mercy.  One  of  the  ministers,  who  had  been 
port  collector  at  Canton  before  its  pride  had  been  brought 
low,  once  said  in  my  hearing,  "  Formerly  the  foreigner  was 
cuffed  and  abused,  l)ut  the  tables  are  turned  :  now  it  is  the 
Chfnaman."  With  this  feeling,  was  it  not  natural  to  oppose 
to  the  push  of  the  foreigner  that  I'is  inertias  in  which  China  so 
conspicuously  excels?  Ignorance  made  them  cautious  ;  know- 
ing nothing  of  foreign  countries,  what  could  they  do  but  feel 
their  way? 

Seu  Kiyu,  ex-governor  of  Fu-kien,  was  made  a  member  of  the 
Yamen  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  geograpliv.  He  liad 
compiled  a  text-book,  in  whi(-h  he  says  that  "  Rhode  Island 
is  remarkal)le  for  having  a  l)razen  Colossus  ])estriding  its  har- 
bor"! In  the  previous  reign  he  had  been  disgraced  for  the 
pul)lifation  of  this  vcrv  book,  which  was  thought  to  betray 
proclivities  tliat  were  uii-Chinese.  His  recall  therefore  was  a 
good  sign,  even  if  his  arcluTology  was  slightly  at  fault.  Dans 
Ic  royauDW  dcs  iweii^^lcs,  Ics  borgncs  so/it  rois. 


MANDARINS  AND    GOVERNMENT  341 

I  was  once  breakfasting  with  two  ministers  at  the  college, 
when  one  of  them  referred  to  an  item  of  Indian  news,  in  which 
the  name  Piliichi  (Beloochistan)  occurred.  "  Piluchi,"  inter- 
posed the  other — "is  not  that  the  same  as  Pilu  [Peru]?"  For 
a  minister  of  foreign  affairs  this  was  nearly  as  bad  as  Palmer- 
ston's  making  Sir  Somebody  governor  of  Labuan,  and  then  turn- 
ing to  his  secretary  with  the  question,  "  Where  is  that  island 
anyhow?  "  Incredible  as  it  may  appear,  I  have  heard  a  Chi- 
nese minister  ask  the  same  question  about  Burmah.  Among 
those  grandees  the  only  man  who  ever  showed  familiarity  with 
geography  was  Sichen,  a  Manchu,  president  of  the  Board  of 
Civil  Ofhce.  Being  in  my  room  with  the  grand  secretary.  Yen, 
and  several  other  ministers,  he  noticed  a  set  of  relief-maps  hang- 
ing on  the  wall.  Picking  out  India,  though  unable  to  read 
English,  he  ran  his  fingers  over  the  mountain-tops  and  named 
the  countries  adjacent.  He  might  not  have  known  so  much 
about  other  parts  of  the  world;  India  is  a  quarter  to  which 
they  are  accustomed  to  look  with  mingled  fear  and  hope. 

Of  all  strange  things  in  China  nothing  is  stranger  than  the 
wav  in  which  this  high  tribunal  recruits  its  membership.  It  is, 
as  Chenglin,  one  of  the  body,  explained  to  me,  an  expedient 
for  averting  external  opposition  by  substituting  internal  friction. 
"You  know,"  he  said,  "that  the  plans  of  the  Tsungli  Yamen 
sometimes  go  down  before  the  force  of  outside  antagonism.  A 
clever  censor  or  powerful  viceroy  gets  the  ear  of  the  emperor, 
who  forthwi  h  quashes  our  wisest  schemes.  In  such  a  case 
Prince  Kung  has  a  way  of  his  own  to  deal  with  the  difiticulty. 
He  memorializes  the  throne  to  give  his  opponent  a  chair  in 
this  council  for  foreign  affairs.  The  prince  knows  that,  once 
here,  he  will  not  be  slow  to  find  out  that  his  Highness's  policy 
is  the  onlv  possible  way  of  getting  along  with  foreign  nations. 
For  that  reason  and  no  other  were  ]vIao  and  Shen  brought  into 
this  Yamen."  The  first-named  rose  from  a  vice-presidency  in 
the  censorate  to  be  president  of  the  Board  of  Civil  Office ;  the 


342  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

other  from  the  governorship  of  Sliansi  rose  to  be  grand  secre- 
tary, with  the  title  of  CJiuiv^^tang.  Both  became  loyal  col- 
leagues of  the  prince — of  course  after  a  little  instruction  in  for- 
eign relations,  beginning  with  a  few  lessons  in  geography.  A 
further  instance  is  the  case  of  Wojin,  mentioned  in  a  former 
chapter.  Who  knows  but  the  old  academician  might  have 
been  as  thoroughly  converted  had  he  not  refused  to  submit  to 
the  educating  process?  Certainly  no  members  of  the  Yamen 
have  ever  been  more  satisfactory  to  deal  with  than  those  two. 

"  Our  true  policy,"  observed  Shen  to  me,  "  is  to  make  use  of 
foreigners,  but  not  to  let  them  make  use  of  us."  At  another 
time  he  inveighed  against  Mr.  Yungwing,  who  had  rendered 
great  services  to  his  countrv,  and  might  have  rendered  greater 
but  for  the  suspicions  to  which  his  progressive  si)irit  and  for- 
eign tastes  made  him  liable.  "  I  don't  like  him,"  he  said  ;  "  he 
has  married  an  American  wife."  He  evidently  feared  that 
through  the  wife  America  might  use  the  husband  for  some 
sinister  end.  "  \\'estern  cabinets,"  I  replied,  "  are  not  so 
suspicious.  Baron  Stoeckel,  a  Russian  minister,  married  an 
American,  and  was  kept  at  AA'ashingl(;n  thirty  years.  Ijaron 
Bunscn,  I'russian  minister,  married  an  Englishwoman,  and  was 
sent  to  London,  where  he  remained  fifteen  years."  At  that 
time  fjismarck  had  not  yet  enacted  or  enforced  the  rule  that 
a  member  of  the  diplomatic  service  must  not  marry  an  alien, 
a  rule  under  which  Mr.  von  Brandt,  one  of  Germany's  ablest 
representatives,  was  compelled  to  lea\-e  Peking.  For  a  con- 
tingency of  this  kind  the  diplomacy  of  ancient  China  affords  no 
j)arallel.  'I'he  nearest  precedent  is  the  case  of  Sunwu,  a  gen- 
eral who  killed  his  wife  lest,  belonging  to  a  hostile  state,  she 
should  stand  in  the  wav  of  his  ol)taining  a  cominand. 

Jk-fore  liis  apj)carance  at  the  "^'ameii,  Mao  had  acfpiired  noto- 
riety in  I'eking  bv  the  sup]ircssi<  )n  of  a  Buddliist  teinjile.  Crowds 
were  drawn  to  it  I)}-  a  rejiort,  which  lliey  found  coi-rect,  that  a 
huge  brass  idol  hatl  become  warm — palpable  proof  that  a  di- 


MANDARINS  AND    GOVERNMENT 


343 


vinity  had  come  to  dwell  there.  The  place  became  known  as 
Jcfosi  ("  Temple  of  the  Warm  Buddha  ").  The  excitement  ran 
high,  and  Mao,  who  was  charged  with  the  supervision  of  that 
quarter  of  the  capital,  deeming  it  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  the 
city,  resolved  to  close  it.  The  priests  protested,  and  menaced 
him  with  the  anger  of  their  god.  "  If  he  is  really  a  god," 
said  Mao,  turning  to  the  frightened  worshipers,  "  let  him 
strike  me  dead.  If  I  live  another  half-hour  you  may  know 
that  your  living  idol  is  nothing  but  a  clever  deception,  and 
that  you  have  been  cheated  by  these  greedy  priests."  Noth- 
ing happened  to  him  within  the  half-hour,  the  crowd  dis- 
persed, and  the  doors  were  sealed.  Wishing  to  verify  the 
story,  I  asked  him  if  it  were  true.  He  said  it  was,  and  I  com- 
plimented him  on  his  courage.  He  had,  moreover,  the  cour- 
age to  say  to  several  ministers,  with  whom  the  present  writer 
was  at  breakfast,  "  If  everybody  presented  the  claims  of  Chris- 
tianity as  Dr.  Martin  does  we  should  not  have  much  reason  to 
object  to  it."  I  had  given  each  of  them  a  copy  of  my  book 
on  the  Evidences. 


.  1  i;kf.  r  SHOW   ix   I'KKixi 


CHAPTER    IX 


NOTABLE    MANDARINS 


A  prince  of  the  blood— A  Chinese  statesman— A  Chinese  scholar— A 
Manchu  scholar — A  Manchu  statesman — A  Chinese  diplomat — A  Chi- 
nese professor 

SOME  of  my  mandarin  friends  have  been  brought  on  the 
stage  incidentally.  If  the  reader  desires  a  closer  acquain- 
tance he  may  find  it  in  the  following  notices,  which  are  not 
given  as  complete  sketches,  but  by  way  of  supplement.  Be- 
sides typical  scholars,  whose  talents  raised  them  from  obscur- 
ity, there  are  among  them  two  or  three  from  privileged  classes, 
\vho,  though  born  to  high  station,  have  through  force  of  char- 
acter exerted  a  profound  influence  on  the  destinies  of  their 
country. 

I .   A  Pr'nicc  of  tJie  Blood 

Prince  Kung,  a  younger  brother  of  the  obstinate  and  ill-fated 
J^mperor  Hienfung,  has  for  twenty-live  years  first  and  last  been 
chief  minister  of  foreign  aff'airs  and  chancellor  of  the  empire. 
This  eminence  he  owes  to  the  intelligence  and  courage  that 
enabled  him  to  come  to  the  front  at  more  than  one  critical 
moment  in  the  fortunes  of  his  house.  His  star  rose  in  storm 
and  darkness.  The  emperor  had  fled  to  Mongolia,  and,  in 
default  (;f  any  responsible  person  with  whom  to  treat,  the 
ambassadors  (or  one  of  them)  were  thinking  of  turning  to  the 
rival  power  at  Nanking,  wlien,  in  October,  i860,  Prince  Kung, 
then  thirty  years  of  age,  came  forward  with   credentials   em- 

344 


NOTABLE  MANDARINS  345 

powering  him  to  negotiate  a  peace.  They  were  struck  with 
the  dignity  and  composure  which  he  manifested  in  a  very  em- 
barrassing situation.  The  prince  had  never  seen  a  foreigner, 
and  he  was  not  backed  by  any  visible  force  ;  the  defenders  of  the 
capital  having  been  routed,  the  summer  palace  sacked,  and  the 
city  taken.  Yet  so  far  was  he  from  giving  way  to  demonstrations 
of  grief,  like  Jules  Favre  on  signing  his  treaty  of  peace,  that  he 
betrayed  no  sense  of  weakness  and  endeavored  to  obtain  the  best 
terms  possible.  He  was  fortunate  in  having  to  deal  with  men 
who  were  noted  for  moderation,  and  who  were  as  anxious  as  him- 
self to  set  the  prostrate  empire  on  its  feet  again.  The  conven- 
tion, followed  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  invading  forces,  brought 
him  into  great  favor  with  the  emperor,  who  required  him  to 
remain  at  Peking  as  his  representative. 

Dying  in  exile,  partly  from  chagrin,  partly  from  the  effects  of 
a  dissolute  life,  Hienfung  left  an  infant  son,  with  two  widows 
to  contest  the  honors  of  motherhood.  Empress  No.  i,  though 
sonless,  claimed  the  child  by  virtue  of  her  position  as  legal 
consort.  Empress  No.  2,  originally  an  inferior  wife,  was  the 
real  mother.  Raised  to  imperial  rank  in  recompense  for  giv- 
ing an  heir  to  the  throne,  she  was  not  required  to  waive  her 
maternal  rights.  Here  were  materials  for  a  conflict  in  which, 
had  not  both  ladies  been  gentle  and  discreet,  a  sword  more 
formidable  than  that  of  Solomon  might  have  settled  the  dis- 
pute. Sushun  and  Toanhoa,  two  princes  of  the  blood,  taking 
possession  of  the  infant,  conciliated  the  ladies  by  proclaiming 
a  regency  in  their  name  and  bringing  the  new  emperor  back  to 
Peking.  Prince  Kung  was  an  obstacle  to  their  ambition,  and 
he  was  marked  for  destruction  ;  but,  acting  on  the  advice  of 
his  father-in-law,  the  astute  old  Kweiliang,  he  was  too  quick 
for  his  enemies,  who  were  seized  and  decapitated.  The  im- 
perial ladies,  grateful  for  deliverance  from  the  self-constituted 
guardians  of  their  son,  proclaimed  him  Icheng-waJig,  or  "joint 
regent,"    They,  according  to  the  court  phrase,  "  gave  audience 


346  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

behind  a  curtain,"  but  he  was  "to  be  consulted  on  affairs  of 
state." 

When  the  ship  was  again  in  smooth  water,  with  foreign  wars 
ended  and  internal  rebellions  suppressed,  the  regents  thought 
they  could  do  without  their  pilot.  The  empress  mother  was  a 
bold  woman,  of  high  ambition  and  higher  genius.  She  could 
make  a  tool  of  her  colleague,  but  felt  that  she  was  not  sover- 
eign as  long  as  she  was  obliged  to  obtain  the  approval  of  Prince 
Kung  before  her  decrees  should  go  into  effect.  Trumping 
up  a  charge  of  arrogance  and  disrespect  toward  the  emperor, 
which  sounded  comical  in  the  mouth  of  a  child  of  ten,  the  two 
ladies  issued  a  decree  stripping  the  prince  of  all  his  offices  and 
confining  him  a  prisoner  in  his  own  palace.  Within  three  days 
this  was  followed  by  another  announcing  that  "the  [)rince  had 
thrown  himself  at  the  foot  of  the  throne  and  with  flowing  tears 
confessed  his  faults."  He  was  pardoned,  and  his  numerous 
offices  restored  one  after  another,  with  the  addition  of  new  dig- 
nities, but  the  title  of  "  joint  regent "  never  reappeared. 

Lank  in  figure,  swart  in  complexion,  and  so  near-siglitcd 
that  he  appeared  to  squint,  Prince  Kung  was  not  a  handsome 
man,  to  speak  in  the  i)ast  tense,  though  he  still  lives.  He  was, 
however,  kindly  and  gracious  in  demeanor,  and  his  rapid  and 
energetic  utterance  made  an  impression  of  independent  strength 
which  he  was  far  from  possessing.  Best  known  as  president  of 
the  Pjoard  of  Foreign  Affairs,  he  was  head  of  the  administra- 
tion in  all  its  branches  ;  but  he  never  acted  without  the  advice 
of  his  subordinates,  and  his  speeches  were  nothing  but  a  sum- 
mary of  their  deliberations.  Son  of  one  emjieror  and  brother 
of  another,  he  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  sample  of  the  stuff  the 
j)resent  rulers  of  China  are  made  of. 

My  relations  with  the  prince  were  frecjuent  and  cordial,  lie- 
sides  compliments  of  various  kinds,  he  on  one  occasion  showed 
me  an  extraordinary  mark  of  consideration.  One  of  our  pro- 
fe.-sors,  while  acting  as  interpreter  to  a  foreign  minister,  had 


KOTAJU.E   MANDARIXS  347 

given  liim  serious  offense ;  the  prince,  instead  of  arbitrarily 
ordering  his  dismissal,  called  for  me,  stated  the  case,  and  left 
the  decision  to  me.  Relegated  to  private  life  ten  years  ago 
on  account  of  French  aggressions  in  Annam,  the  prince  was 
kept  in  the  background  by  the  jealousy  of  his  brother  (father 
of  the  present  emperor)  as  long  as  the  latter  lived  ;  but  the  "  old 
pilot  "  has  lately  been  called  to  the  helm  again.  Though  infirm 
in  health,  China  is  once  more  indebted  to  his  wisdom  and  mod- 
eration for  peace  with  a  conquering  power.  He  seldom  ap- 
pears at  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  the  special  presidency  of  that 
council  now  pertaining  to  his  cousin.  Prince  Ching. 

These  two  are  the  only  princes  with  whom  I  became  ac- 
quainted, with  the  exception  of  a  Mongol  prince  who  came  to 
my  house  to  ask  me  to  put  him  in  the  way  of  learning  English. 
In  Russia  princes  are  as  numerous  as  counts  in  France,  in 
both  countries  the  title  descending  to  all  the  sons  or  being  as- 
sumed by  them.  In  China,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  few,  con- 
fined to  the  Tartars,  and  the  law  sets  a  limit  to  their  increase. 
The  son  of  an  emperor  is  a  Ch'ui  Wang,  or  "prince  of  the 
blood."  A  son  of  the  latter  is  Chiiin  ]Vaiig,  or  "prince  of 
the  second  order."  His  son  is  no  longer  a  Wang,  but  a  Pcila, 
i.e.,  not  a  prince  at  all.  Their  dignity  fades  as  the  circle 
widens,  and  the  nation  is  saved  from  the  burden  of  a  grow- 
ing incubus. 

2.  Z/  Hung  Chang,  the  Chinese  Statesman 

No  Chinese  name,  after  that  of  Confucius,  is  so  well  known 
beyond  the  borders  of  China.  Yet  Li  Hung  Chang  resembles 
Confucius  about  as  much  as  his  Most  Christian  [Majesty,  Louis 
XY.,  resembled  Christ.  He  has  grown  rich  by  methods  not 
api)roved  by  a  nice  moralit}-,  though  sanctioned  by  the  customs 
of  his  country  ;  but  his  wealth  would  recpiire  to  be  multiplied  a 
hundred-fold  to  reach  the  figure  of  five  hundred  million  dollars, 
sometimes   attributed   to  him.     One   of  those   methods  was 


348 


A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 


brought  to  my  notice  by  a  mandarin  from  the  South,  himself 
rich.  He  was  expecting  an  appointment  in  the  viceroy's 
province,  and  yet  he  congratulated  himself  on  slipping  through 
Tientsin  without  seeing  him,  assigning  as  excuse  for  not  call- 
ing that  it  was  "  too  near  the  great  man's  birthday." 

His  location  has  lifted  him  to  the  light.     Holding  for  a  score 
of  years  the  leading  viceroyalty,  that  of  Chihli,  which  makes 


I.I     iH'N(,     CllANC,    AT     l-ll'-IV. 


liim  chief  guardian  of  the  throne,  while  his  brother  (who  bears 
the  sobriquet  of  "  Eottomk'ss  bag")  luis  through  his  influence 
held  successively  the  viceroyalties  of  Hankcnv  and  Canton,  he 
is  by  far  the  most  powerful  of  the  great  satraps.*      His  qual- 

*  Since  this  was  written  lie  lias  Ijccn  called  to  take  nji  the  office  of  chief 
of  the  ])ri\y  council  in  I'eking,  of  which  he  has  Ioiil;  held  the  lionorary 
title.  lie  is  therefore  in  fact,  us  in  name,  Shosiaiit;-,  "  prime  minister"  of 
China. 


NOTABLE   MANDARIXS  349 

I'ties  of  intellect  and  character  are  set  off  by  a  commanding 
stature  —  he  stands  six  feet  two— with  features  rather  Persian 
than  Cln'nese.  At  the  age  of  seventy-three  he  retains  all  his 
mental  force  and  no  small  measure  of  physical  vigor.  His 
seventieth  anniversary  was  celebrated  with  great  pomp ;  the 
pageant,  with  its  shifting  scenes  and  the  poems  to  which  it 
gave  birth,  filled  a  large  album,  a  copy  of  which  sent  me  by 
the  viceroy  was  appropriated  by  one  of  his  native  admirers. 

Holding  the  key  to  the  capital,  all  envoys  from  Western 
courts  must  pass  him  en  route,  and  they  seldom  fail  to  pay  him 
the  compliment  of  a  more  or  less  formal  visit.  He  is  easy  of 
access.  Travelers  ambitious  of  seeing  celebrities  are  always 
able  to  find  him  at  home,  while  special  correspondents  are  sure 
to  consecrate  a  few  columns  to  the  most  distinguished  repre- 
sentative of  the  Chinese  race.  He  is  a  man  who  under  any 
circumstances  must  have  come  to  the  front,  because  in  early 
manhood  he  distinguished  himself  as  a  scholar,  winning  in  his 
native  province  of  Anhui  the  degrees  of  bachelor  and  master, 
and  in  the  metropolitan  examinations  the  doctorate  in  letters, 
followed  by  the  supreme  distinction  of  a  membership  in  the 
Imperial  Academy ;  but  had  he  depended  on  letters  alone  his 
promotion  would  have  been  less  rapid.  Fortune  favored  him 
l)y  calling  him  to  participate  in  the  war  against  the'Taiping 
rebels.  Wearing  the  honors  of  the  reigning  house,  he  was 
pledged  to  loyalty,  while  the  excesses  committed  by  the  in- 
surgents, as  they  swept  over  his  district,  impelled  him  to  take 
arms  in  the  cause  of  law  and  order. 

Tsengkofan,  an  older  academician,  who  headed  the  imperial 
troops,  gave  him  a  cordial  welcome,  and  to  his  patronage  next 
to  his  own  talents  Li  owes  his  brilliant  career.  In  five  years 
he  found  himself  in  command  of  the  forces  of  eastern  Kiangsu, 
with  General  Ward  and  his  trained  battalion  recapturing  city 
after  city,  all  their  successes  being  set  to  his  credit.  When 
Colonel    Gordon    succeeded    to    the    command    of    Ward's 


350  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

force,  and  compelled  the  rebels  to  surrender  the  great  city 
of  Suchau,  the  capital  of  the  pru\ince,  Li  was  raised  to  the 
governorship.  The  act  for  which  he  is  best  known  is  his 
violation  of  the  terms  of  capitulation,  and  the  })erfidious  murder 
of  the  rebel  chiefs  while  feasting  them  in  his  tent.  For  that 
act  Gordon  threatened  to  j^ut  a  pistol-ball  into  his  head,  and 
for  that  act  the  Chinese  government  adorned  his  cap  with  the 
buttons  and  feathers  of  the  highest  rank.  On  the  final  sup- 
pression of  tlie  rebellion  Li  came  in  for  a  place  in  the  new- 
made  peerage,  l)eing  created  an  earl  in  perpetuity. 

An  exception  to  the  law  of  rotation,  la  has  held  one  post 
for  twenty  years,  apparently  as  fixed  as  the  pier  of  a  bridge, 
which  keeps  its  place  however  the  tide  may  come  and  go. 
The  prospect  of  permanence  encouraged  him  to  busy  his  fer- 
tile brain  with  plans  for  improvement  which  a  stranger  and 
sojourner  would  not  have  had  courage  to  undertake.  So  in- 
dispensable has  his  charge  of  the  chief  viceroyalty  been  con- 
sidered that  he  was  made  an  exception  to  another  rule,  to 
which  all  Chinese  officials  are  Ijound  both  by  law  and  by  re- 
ligion. On  the  deatli  of  his  mother  it  became  his  duty  to  lay' 
down  the  insignia  of  office  and  spend  three  years  mourning  in 
sackcloth.  A  si)ecial  decree  recpiired  him  to  wait  for  a  con- 
venient season  to  indulge  his  grief.  A\'hen  he  iTnewed  his 
petition  the  empress  regent  relented  so  far  as  to  gi\-e  him  three 
months'  leave  of  absence,  instead  of  three  years  and  a  new 
post. 

While  the  majority  of  mandarins  have  to  contend  with  pov- 
ertv  in  early  life,  it  was  ],i's  fortune  to  lie  born  rich.  His 
father  was  a  landed  projirietor  with  mandarin  rank,  and  suffi- 
ciently opulent  to  liave  more  wi\'es  than  one.  Our  viceroy 
was  the  child  of  an  iiiferior  wife.  Rumor  \\hispered  that  this 
Iad\-  was  a  remote  I'elation  of  the  fanu'l\"  and  of  the  same 
name;  the  uin'on  was  therefore  illegal.  It  fuilhei-  said  that  at 
the  age  of  eight\-,  haxing  in  her  own  name  (Chinese  women 


NOTABLE  MAXDARIXS  351 

retain  tlieir  maiden  name  as  do  those  of  Russia)  to  acknow- 
ledge certain  j)resents  from  the  empress  regent,  her  son  induced 
her  to  write  Ki  for  Li,  tliat  the  secret  of  lier  marriage  with  her 
fort\'-seventh  cousin  miglit  not  come  to  the  ears  of  tlie  tin-one. 

During  his  long  tenure  of  the  viceroyalty  Li  has  established 
a  character  as  a  friend  of  progress  ;  but  that  is  not  synonymous 
with  being  a  friend  of  foreigners.  ^Liy  it  not  be  the  reverse, 
for  have  not  all  his  efforts  been  directed  toward  arming  his 
country  for  war?  If  she  has  come  to  grief  in  her  conflict 
with  Japan  it  is  not  Li's  fault,  but  her  misfortune  in  having 
but  one  such  man.  Under  his  auspices  the  navy  was  built, 
the  two  naval  fortresses  were  equipped,  naval  and  military 
schools  established,  coal-mines  opened,  a  merchant  marine  or- 
ganized to  fight  foreigners  in  the  field  of  commerce,  an  army 
of  a  hundred  thousand  armed  and  drilled ;  finally,  a  railway, 
intended  to  meet  that  of  Siberia,  constructed  as  far  as  the  ter- 
minus of  the  Great  AVall.  Like  all  great  leaders,  Li  has 
understood  how  to  select  his  agents.  His  chief  representative 
in  creating  the  .splendid  fleet  of  the  China  Merchant  Company 
was  ^\\.  Tang  King  Sing,  who  was  educated  in  a  missionary 
school,  and  trained  to  business  in  the  great  house  of  Jardine 
&  Matheson.  Writing  to  me  al)OUt  specimens  of  coal  and 
iron  which  he  desired  to  have  analyzed  at  our  college,  Mr. 
Tang  said,  "  The  viceroy  leads,  but  I  am  the  man  that  pushes." 

Li  and  his  wife  have  shown  themselves  conspicuous  patrons, 
not  of  medical  missions,  but  of  certain  missionaries  who  won 
their  confidence,  notably  Dr.  McKenzie  and  ]\Irs.  Dr.  King. 

Residing  in  Peking,  I  have  had  only  two  interviews  with  the 
illustrious  vice-emperor.  Calling  on  him  five  years  ago,  I  was 
no  stranger,  nor  was  I  treated  as  such.  ]\Liny  of  my  students 
were  in  his  employ,  one  of  my  books  had  been  honored  with 
a  preface  from  his  pen,  and  correspondence  had  passed  be- 
tween us  before  as  it  has  since  that  date.  The  one  disagree- 
able feature  in  our  meeting  was  that,  a  Chinese  exclusion  bill 


352  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

having  newly  become  law,  he  was  full  of  bitterness  against  my 
country,  venting  his  wrath  the  more  freely  as  he  considered 
me  in  the  light  of  a  Chinese  official.  He  dwelt  on  the  subject 
at  the  greater  length  because  he  desired  me  to  act  as  a  sort  of 
envoy  to  represent  the  feelings  of  his  government  to  the  Presi- 
dent and  people  of  the  United  States. 

It  was  not  the  act  of  exclusion  so  much  as  the  manner  of  it 
that  roused  his  ire.  Its  passage,  in  violation  of  previous  stip- 
ulations, was  bad  faith ;  that  this  was  done  while  a  newly 
signed  treaty  was  under  consideration,  in  which  China  took 
the  initiative  by  agreeing  to  stop  emigration,  was  discourteous, 
to  say  the  least ;  while  the  fact  that,  for  political  effect,  it  was 
rushed  through  on  the  eve  of  an  election  gave  him  a  poor 
opinion  of  our  form  of  government.  When  his  fire  had  some- 
what slackened,  I  ventured  to  suggest  that  if  he  would  look  at 
home  he  would  find  a  state  of  things  not  altogether  creditable 
to  China. 

"  AVhat,  for  example,"  I  asked,  "  are  Americans  to  think  of 
those  murderous  attacks  on  foreigners  of  every  nationality  and 
occupation  ?  " 

"  Those,"  he  replied,  "  are  the  work  of  an  excited  populace  ; 
but  the  oppressi(jns  to  which  our  laborers  are  subjected  come 
from  your  government,  and  a  government  that  enacts  iniquity 
is  no  government  \pu  chcngk7i'o\  What  would  you  think  if  /" 
(he  said  wo,  using,  as  it  were,  a  very  big  /)  "  should  expel 
your  missionaries  ?  " 

"  I  should  think,"  I  replied,  "  that  you  were  turning  vour 
arms  against  your  best  friends.  I  should  also  say  that  you 
were  violating  a  precept  of  Confucius,  which  forbids  you  to 
vent  your  dis])lea.sure  on  the  unoffending." 

This  f]uotation  from  his  own  sacred  book  staggered  him, 
and,  bursting  into  a  laugh,  he  said,  "  I  have  no  intention  of 
d-)iiig  anything  of  tlie  kind  ;  I  onlv  spoke  of  it  for  the  sake  of 
argument.     The  missic^naries  are  good  men,  I  know,  but  your 


NOTABLE  MANDARINS  353 

code  of  morals  is  defective,  as  it  seems  to  me,  in  one  point :  it 
lays  too  much  stress  on  charity  and  too  little  on  justice." 

In  letting  fly  this  Parthian  arrow  he  meant  that  he  would 
like  a  little  less  zeal  for  missions  and  a  little  more  respect 
for  treaty  compacts.  The  conversation,  of  which  I  give  only 
an  outline,  was  thoroughly  characteristic.  In  discussions  with 
foreign  envoys  he  is  prone  to  banter,  saying  disagreeable  things 
"  for  the  sake  of  argument,"  and  attacking  with  feigned  as- 
perity. His  thunder  is  usually  followed  by  a  burst  of  sun- 
shine, and  no  man  knows  better  how  to  intersperse  the  light 
and  shade,  but  he  is  deficient  in  that  pohshed  self-restraint 
which  marks  the  well-bred  mandarin. 

In  our  next  interview  I  received  his  thanks  for  sundry  ser- 
vices of  a  semi-diplomatic  character  which  I  had  rendered  to 
the  Chinese  government  during  my  stay  in  the  United  States. 
After  hearing  my  report  he  presented  his  two  younger  sons, 
and  desired  me  to  examine  them  in  his  presence  as  to  their 
proficiency  in  Enghsh.  When  I  recently  passed  through 
Tientsin  on  my  homeward  journey  he  was  away  on  a  tour  of 
inspection  to  those  twin  fortresses  that  have  so  lately  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  Japanese.  The  treaty  of  peace  was  the 
crowning  act  of  his  busy  hfe.  His  rank,  age,  and  character 
all  marked  him  out  for  that  mission,  though  it  was  pathetic  to 
see  the  man  who  had  done  most  for  the  defense  of  his  coun- 
try knocking  in  suppliant  guise  at  the  gates  of  the  conqueror. 
His  credentials  are  contained  in  the  following  decree : 

"  Being  desirous  of  establishing  sincere  relations  of  amity 
with  the  Emperor  of  Japan,  we  specially  appoint  Li  Hung 
Chang,  earl  of  the  first  rank,  senior  grand  secretary,  viceroy  of 
Chihli,  and  superintendent  of  trade  for  the  northern  ports,  to 
be  our  ambassador,  with  full  powers  to  confer  with  plenipoten- 
tiaries appointed  by  Japan,  to  settle  the  terms  of  a  treaty  of 
peace  and  to  sign  and  seal  the  same.  .  .  . 

"  The  terms  of  the  treaty  agreed  upon  must,  however,  be 


354  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

submitted  for  our  inspection,  and  if  found  satisfactory  they 
will  receive  our  imperial  sanction." 

Let  it  be  noted  that  the  formal  title  of  plenipotentiary,  which 
the  Emperor  of  China  never  bestows  until  he  is  beaten  in  bat- 
tle, is  not  wanting  here.  How  could  it  be  when  the  peace 
mission  of  Changyinhoan  a  month  earher  was  rejected  for 
want  of  it  ?  But  what  does  it  signify  after  all  when  the  con- 
dition is  appended  that  the  terms  agreed  on  "  must  be  sub- 
mitted for  our  inspection"?  This  means  prior  to  signature  as 
understood  by  Li  himself,  who  asked  and  obtained  the  privi- 
lege of  corresponding  with  his  government  in  cipher.  Is  it  not 
true,  as  Commissioner  Tan  declared,  that  "  the  emperor  is  the 
only  plenipotentiary  "? 

Li's  conduct  of  the  negotiations,  charging  as  it  were  up 
a  hill,  displays  a  rare  combination  of  courage  and  tact. 
Beginning  with  the  proposal  of  an  armistice,  he  promptly 
declined  it,  leaving  the  Japanese  to  do  their  worst  rather 
than  comply  with  the  conditions  annexed,  namely,  the  sur- 
render of  the  fortresses  and  munitions  at  Taku,  Tientsin,  and 
Shanhaikwan.  Returning  from  his  first  interview  with  the 
Japanese  plenipotentiaries,  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
wounded  by  an  assassin,  whose  ball  was  so  near  proving  fatal 
that  the  best  surgeons  did  not  dare  to  extract  it.  That  single 
shot  saved  many  a  bloody  battle ;  for  the  Emperor  of  Japan, 
yielding  to  a  generous  impulse,  granted  the  armistice  without 
condition,  apparently  to  expiate  the  crime  of  his  subject.  The 
same  sentiment  led  him  to  mitigate  the  severity  of  the  terms 
demanded  by  his  representatives.  'Hiose  concessions  were 
not,  howe\er,  like  that  of  the  armistice,  a  spontaneous  expres- 
sion of  feeling.  They  were  made  in  answer  to  Li's  criticism 
(;f  the  Japanese  draft  of  the  treatv.  That  criticism,  so  com- 
prehensive and  acute  that  it  deserves  to  take  rank  among  the 
ablest  documents  of  its  class,  was  drawn  u])  bv  him  on  his 
bed  of  suffering.     He  had,  it  is  true,  the  advice  of  that  most 


NOTABLE  MANDARINS  355 

accomplished  diplomatist,  the  Hon.  J.  W.  Foster,  but  the 
paper  as  a  whole  expresses  fairly  the  mental  grasp  and  fearless 
spirit  of  the  heroic  old  man.  Seldom  has  a  state  paper  in 
similar  circumstances  proved  equally  effective.  In  the  way  of 
indemnity  it  led  the  Japanese  to  deduct  a  hundred  millions  of 
silver  dollars  from  the  amount  demanded,  while  in  the  way  of 
territory  it  induced  them  to  withdraw  their  demand  for  the 
cession  of  Mukden,  the  old  Manchurian  capital,  as  well  as 
the  belt  of  land  lying  between  it  and  the  fortieth  parallel.  To 
those  who  are  able  to  appreciate  them  these  results  have 
something  of  the  aspect  of  a  triumph  ;  yet  it  is  unhappily  but 
too  certain  that  the  name  of  Li  Hung  Chang  will  be  branded 
with  infamy  by  his  ignorant  countrymen  as  that  of  a  man  who 
consented  to  the  disintegration  of  the  empire. 

A  pleasing  episode  in  the  events  of  those  days  is  a  letter  of 
sympathy  from  the  Japanese  Christians  of  Nagoya,  which, 
though  one  among  many,  seems  to  have  made  a  considerable 
impression  on  the  mind  of  the  Chinese  ambassador.  Instead 
of  simply  returning  thanks,  as  he  might  have  done,  he  replied 
at  length  in  terms  both  courteous  and  feeling.  Here  is  a  por- 
tion of  his  letter  dictated  from  a  bed  of  pain  :  "  He  is  deeply 
moved  by  the  kind  solicitude  expressed  in  your  address,  and  feels 
that  the  prayers  you  have  offered  for  his  recovery  cannot  have 
been  unheeded  by  the  Power  who  controls  human  destinies. 
His  escape  from  sudden  death  was  little  short  of  miraculous, 
and  he  believes  that  his  life  has  been  spared  for  some  wise  pur- 
pose. He  may  yet  do  some  good  to  the  world,  and  perhaps 
render  a  service  to  his  country  in  endeavoring  to  restore  peace." 

On  the  whole  his  mission  to  Japan  has  enhanced  my  admi- 
ration for  the  character  of  China's  greatest  statesman. 

3.    Ti/iigsi/i/i,  (7  CJiincsc  ScJioIar 

Not  only  was  Tungsuin  a  model  scholar,  he  was  a  gentleman 
of  perfect  polish.     H*?  look  a  fancy  to  me  when  we  first  met. 


356  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

in  1863,  my  fondness  for  Chinese  literature  forming  the  first 
hnk  in  our  attachment ;  and  for  many  years  he  was  my  friend 
and  patron,  aiding  me  with  his  ministerial  influence.  Being 
twenty  years  his  junior,  I  was  able  to  show  him  deference  with- 
out loss  of  self-respect.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five, 
keeping  up  his  literary  activity  to  the  last. 

A  voluminous  author,  he  gave  me  copies  of  all  his  principal 
works,  one  of  which,  a  topographical  history  of  the  Grand 
Canal,  extended  to  forty-eight  volumes.  They  were  all  written 
in  the  hurry  of  official  life  in  such  scraps  of  time  as  he  was 
able  to  pick  up  in  intervals  of  business  or  in  hours  snatched 
from  sleep. 

Lord  Brougham  prided  himself  on  having  written  a  scien- 
tific dissertation  while  listening  to  the  pleading  of  a  cause. 
Many  a  time  have  I  seen  Tungsuin  driving  his  pen  while  as- 
sisting at  an  examination  as  one  of  the  regents  of  the  college ; 
nor  would  there  be  anything  incredible  in  Brougham's  per- 
formance had  the  pleadings,  like  the  trials  of  our  students, 
been  wholly  in  writing. 

A  prodigy  of  learning,  he  was  not  free  from  a  streak  of 
superstition.  One  of  the  houses  which  Sir  Robert  Hart 
bought  for  the  professors  happened  to  be  next  door  to  Tung, 
who  objected  to  having  it  occupied  by  a  foreigner.  When  I 
was  made  president,  Sir  Robert  suggesting  that  he  might 
waive  his  objections  out  of  personal  regard  for  me,  I  spoke  to 
him  on  the  sul)ject. 

"  Vou,"  he  replied,  "are  one  of  my  best  friends.  How  can 
I  ol)jc'ct  to  your  coming  to  be  my  neighbor?  Only  please 
don't  build  a  high  chimney  near  my  wall." 

This  request,  which  I  complied  with,  was  prompted  by  a 
belief  in /;/;/,(,'■.<•/////,  according  to  which  a  high  object  is  liable  to 
injure  the  luck  of  a  place  wlu'ch  it  overlooks.  He  said  he 
made  it  out  of  regard  for  the  feelings  of  others,  wishing  me  to 
think  him  above  such  weakness.     It  stuck  to  him  nevertheless. 


NOTABLE  MANDARINS  357 

A  politer  man  I  never  knew.  The  expedient  to  which  he 
once  resorted  to  shield  me  from  the  consequences  of  my  own 
awkwardness  reminded  me  of  a  Prince  of  \\'ales,  who  saved  the 
Washes  of  a  country  lady  who  drank  tea  from  her  saucer  by 
promptly  doing  the  same.  At  breakfast  with  several  minis- 
ters, I  rose  to  hand  something  across  the  table  and  clumsily 
overturned  my  chair.  "  Take  away  that  chair,"  he  said  to  a 
servant,  "and  have  it  repaired;  something  is  wrong  with  its 
legs!" 

He  was  magnanimous  as  well  as  polite.  Shortly  after  my 
appointment  to  the  presidency  of  the  college  one  of  our  stu- 
dents revealed  to  me  the  fact  that  he  had  been  directed  by 
the  minister  Tung  to  translate  a  document  relating  to  me,  add- 
ing with  a  frightened  look,  "  Yes,  and  it  is  something  very 
bad."  He  then  showed  it  to  me,  and,  to  my  surprise,  I  found 
it  was  a  letter  written  by  me  to  a  newspaper  after  the  defeat 
of  the  Allies  at  Taku  in  1859,  to  prove  that  the  Chinese  gov- 
ernment did  not  intend  loyally  to  observe  the  treaties  made  at 
Tientsin.  It  had  found  its  way  into  a  parliamentary  blue 
book,  and  some  one  had  sent  it  to  the  Yamen  to  do  me  an  ill 
turn.  Calling  on  Mr.  Tung  soon  after  the  translation  had 
been  put  into  his  hands,  I  begged  to  oiTer  some  explanations, 
and  began  by  asking  him  to  notice  the  date  of  the  document. 
"True,"  he  exclaimed,  glancing  at  the  heading,  "that  was  be- 
fore the  war.  Things  are  changed  now.  There  is  no  use  say- 
ing anything  more  on  the  subject,"  and  he  showed  himself  as 
warmly  cordial  as  if  I  had  not  impugned  the  good  faith  of  his 
government. 

Like  many  high  officials  whom  I  have  known,  Tungsuin 
rose  from  indigence  by  means  of  that  admirable  system  of 
civil-service  examinations,  which  the  Chinese  call  a  "  ladder 
to  the  clouds."  "  I  began,"  he  said,  "  to  support  myself  by 
teaching  at  eighteen,  carrying  on  my  studies  at  the  same  time. 
For  twelve  years  I  sat  in  the  chair  of  a  schoolmaster,  and  that 


35^  ^t    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

means  twelve  hours  a  day  ;  but  I  was  fortunate  in  winning  one 
degree  after  another,  and  when,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two,  I 
gained  the  doctorate  my  days  of  drudgery  were  ended."  He 
was  at  once  assigned  to  an  official  duty,  from  which  he  rose  to 
be  provincial  examiner,  superintendent  of  grain  transport,  civil 
governor  of  the  capital,  minister  of  war,  minister  of  finance, 
and  member  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

In  the  Tsungli  Yamen  it  was  he  who  drafted  most  of  the 
despatches,  the  very  able  state  papers  of  Prince  Kung  being 
really  the  productions  of  Tung's  pen.  How  sincerely  he  was 
in  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  progress  is  apparent  in  some  of 
them,  especially  in  those  relating  to  the  founding  of  the  col- 
lege. Sir  Thomas  Wade  said  of  this  kindly  old  man  that  he 
was  "  the  most  accomplished  liar  he  ever  knew."  Tungsuin 
might  have  taken  that  as  a  compliment  if  he  had  heard  it  (and 
I  am  not  sure  that  he  did  not  hear  it),  for  Chinese  statecraft 
makes  lying  a  duty.  Did  not  European  diplomacy,  now  so 
upright  and  downright,  formerly  require  the  same?  Did  not 
Louis  XI.  say  to  his  ambassadors,  "  If  they  lie  to  you,  you 
must  lie  still  more  to  them  "?  Nor  am  I  sure  that  diplomatic' 
lying  is  even  now^  a  lost  art. 

4.  Pao  Yini,  a  Ma/ic/iu  ScJwlar 

On  the  Manchu  side  the  grand  chamberlain,  Pao  Yun,  oiTers 
a  fitting  parallel.  He  also  had  been  a  schoolmaster.  In  fact,  I 
may  as  well  say  here,  of  most  of  those  I  have  occasion  to  men- 
tion, that  they  too  have  been  schoolmasters.  For  in  China,  as 
elsewhere,  rich  youth  arc  not  generally  laborious,  and  in  Pao's 
early  years  a  golden  key  was  of  less  service  than  it  is  now. 
China's  most  eminent  scholars  have  all  been  poor.  It  is  rare 
to  meet  one  who  has  not  given  himself  a  lift  by  teaching, 
either  in  public  or  in  private.  The  reverence  for  teachers,  in 
which  the  Chinese  e.xcel  us  as  much  as  they  do  in  re.spect  for 


NOTABLE  MANDARINS  359 

parents  and  ancestors,  renders  this  expedient  less  disagreeable 
than  it  might  be  in  some  of  our  rural  districts,  where  for  a  pupil 
to  thrash  his  teacher  is  (or  was)  a  sign  of  manhood,  and  barring 
the  teacher  out  an  ordinary  pastime. 

Famous  as  scholar  and  wit,  Pao  was  less  voluminous  as  a 
writer  than  Tung,  his  authorship,  so  far  as  I  know,  being 
confined  to  two  volumes  of  poems,  of  which  he  presented  me 
a  copy.  One  of  them  was  made  while  he  was  on  the  road  to 
Hangchau  to  preside  at  an  examination,  the  verses  composed 
in  his  palanquin  during  the  day  being  written  down  at  some 
wayside  inn  in  the  evening.  A  few  verses  of  his  on  the  fall 
of  the  Kung  ministry  enjoyed  a  considerable  vogue,  but  their 
allusions  are  as  occult  as  the  science  of  the  Mahatmas. 

"  Through  life,  as  in  a  pleasing  dream, 
Unconscious  of  my  years, 
In  fortune's  smiles  to  bask  I  seem  — 
Perennial,  spring  appears. 

"  Alas!  leviathan  to  take 
Defies  the  fisher's  art; 
From  dreams  of  glory  I  awake — 
My  youth  and  power  depart. 

"That  loss  is  often  gain's  disguise, 
May  us  for  loss  console. 
My  fellow-suflferers,  take  advice, 
And  keep  your  reason  whole." 

After  this  specimen  I  am  not  confident  that  the  reader  will 
sigh  for  the  "  two  volumes."  Tung  also  was  a  poet,  I  omitted 
to  mention.  All  educated  Chinese  write  verse,  but  these  two 
were  full  of  the  spirit  of  poetry. 

Once,  when  Mr.  Burlingame  was  showing  a  book  of  engrav- 
ings to  Prince  Kung,  the  prince  was  struck  with  the  beauty  of 
one  representing  two  girls  in  a  canoe.  Pointing  it  out  to  Pao 
Yun,  the  latter  drew  a  hair-pencil  from  his  pocket  and  wrote 
down  ten  lines  of  impromptu  verse,  with  which  the  prince  was 


360  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

greatly  pleased.  Remembering  Tung's  gift,  he  next  called  him 
out,  and  Tung  with  equal  promptness  executed  the  task  as- 
signed ;  nor  was  his  composition  in  the  least  like  task-work, 
but  spirited  as  well  as  elegant.  Both  pieces  were  written  with- 
out an  erasure,  and  without  a  moment  for  reflection — a  veri- 
table contest  in  improvisation.  The  prince  praised  him  as 
much  as  he  had  the  other,  saying,  in  substance :  Et  vitida  tii 
dignus  et  hie.  I  translated  the  verses  for  Mr.  Burlingame,  but, 
to  my  regret,  neglected  to  keep  a  copy.  Would  two  of  our 
cabinet  ministers  or  two  of  Queen  Victoria's  acquit  themselves 
equally  well? 

Both  poets  when  in  their  prime  were  extremely  handsome, 
and  Pao,  who  was  born  under  the  same  star  with  his  Chinese 
compeer,  and  lived  to  a  greater  age,  was  to  the  last  alike  con- 
spicuous for  nobleness  of  aspect  and  mental  vivacity.  Both 
were  great  jokers.  It  was  a  treat  to  hear  them  bandy  their 
classic  sally  and  repartee.  In  science  they  stood  at  the  level 
of  Virgil  and  Horace ;  but  Tung,  who  took  a  great  interest  in 
the  college,  and  carefully  read  all  my  books,  giving  me  the 
benefit  of  no  little  verbal  criticism,  was  slowly  emerging  into' 
broader  views.  Pao,  whose  thoughts  never  strayed  beyond 
the  rules  of  prosody,  adhered  to  the  old  traditions.  I  once 
heard  him  in  the  presence  of  our  students  ridicule  the  doctrine 
of  the  earth's  diurnal  revolution,  accompanying  his  jokes  by 
peals  of  laughter,  the  students  on  their  part  smiling  at  the 
ignorance  of  the  great  minister. 

5.    JVt'usiiUig,  a  MancJiu  Statesman 

The  grand  secretarv,  Wensiang,  comes  next  to  memory ; 
and  I  observe  no  more  order  in  introducing  them  than  Ulysses 
did  in  calling  up  the  shades.  Born  at  Mukden,  the  old  capi- 
tal of  the  reigning  dynasty,  he  was  a  Manclui  of  llie  Manchus, 
and  such  was  his  prominence  in  both  home  and  foreign  politics 


h'OTABLE  MANDARINS  361 

that  if  I  followed  Plutarch  I  should  offer  him  as  a  parallel  for 
Li  Hung  Chang.  He  had  been  a  hard  student  in  his  youth, 
but,  after  attaining  the  doctorate,  statesmanship,  and  not  letters, 
absorbed  his  thoughts.  His  thin  crooked  body  and  fine  head 
reminded  me  of  Talleyrand.  Speaking  of  Wensiang,  Sir  Fred- 
erick Bruce  once  remarked  to  me  that  he  had  never  encoun- 
tered a  more  powerful  intellect.  Sir  Henry  Pottinger  said 
something  similar  of  Keying ;  both  judgments  were  exagger- 
ated by  the  surprise  of  finding  such  men  in  "  heathen  China." 

Though,  properly  speaking,  China  has  no  such  office  as 
prime  minister  any  more  than  we  have  in  the  United  States, 
yet  for  about  ten  years  Wensiang  was  virtually  premier  of  the 
empire,  no  statesman  of  his  day  and  country  comparing  with 
him  in  point  of  influence.  Instead  of  being  sent  to  a  viceroy- 
alty  in  the  provinces,  he  was  from  the  first  retained  at  court, 
and  it  was  he  who  took  the  lead  in  the  work  of  reorganization 
after  the  second  war,  as  well  as  in  shaping  the  foreign  policy 
of  his  government. 

Unlike  the  two  preceding,  who  were  indemnified  for  the 
struggles  of  early  life  by  dying  rich,  he  took  a  pride  in  living 
poor  and  dying  so.  When  Secretary  Seward  was  in  China  he 
wrote  to  Wensiang  saying  that  he  had  heard  so  much  of  him, 
and  had  with  him  such  official  relations,  that  he  desired  to  call 
on  him  at  his  house.  The  Tartar  premier  declined  the  honor, 
alleging  that  his  "  humble  dwelling  was  not  fit  to  receive  an 
illustrious  visitor  from  beyond  the  seas,"  and  instead  called  on 
Mr.  Seward  at  the  United  States  legation.  Nor  was  the  ex- 
cuse fictitious,  for  his  house  was  a  hired  one,  and,  as  he 
paid  for  it  only  four  dollars  and  a  half  per  month,  it  could  not 
be  very  splendid.  Shen  and  Yen,  two  other  grand  secretaries 
of  my  acquaintance,  afterward  emulated  his  example  of  osten- 
tatious poverty,  a  distinction  scarcely  more  creditable  to  the 
morals  of  their  country  than  was  the  fame  of  chastity  acquired 
by  certain  Roman  matrons. 


362  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

Wensiang  abhorred  opium,  and  took  no  pains  to  conceal  his 
disgust  when  he  perceived  it  on  the  breath  of  his  colleagues. 
The  two  old  poets  previously  mentioned  were  equally  free  from 
any  taint  of  opium  ;  but,  like  Lipo,  China's  favorite  bard,  they 
were  great  drinkers  of  rice-wine,  which  was  not  the  case  with 
Wensiang.  I'o  me  he  was  always  accessible,  though  over- 
burdened with  work.  Poinding  him  wheezing  with  asthma  one 
day,  he  said  to  me :  "  You  have  seen  a  small  donkey  drawing 
a  great  load  and  half  choked  by  its  collar.  Well,  that  is  a 
picture  of  me."  In  Peking,  where  wheelbarrows  drawn  by 
donkeys  and  pushed  by  men  are  the  vehicles  most  used  for  the 
transport  of  merchandise,  the  simile  was  not  far  fetched. 

No  better  proof  of  Wensiang's  enlightened  views  could  be 
desired  than  the  maxim  which  he  laid  down  as  the  principle 
of  his  policy.  "  I  shall  be  guided,"  he  once  said  to  me,  "by 
the  precept  of  Confucius :  '  Pick  out  the  good  and  follow  it ; 
pick  out  the  evil  and  avoid  it.'  We  shall  learn  all  the  good 
we  can  frcjm  you  people  of  the  ^\'est."  Unhappily  for  China, 
this  remarkal)le  man,  from  whom  so  much  was  to  be  expected, 
was  snatched  away  prematurely  —  though  a  Chinese  proverb 
says,  "  Death  at  fifty  is  not  premature  " — just  as  his  country 
was  becoming  sufficiently  tranquil  to  begin  to  act  on  his  wise 
maxim.  Since  his  death  no  high  official  has  ever  made  men- 
tion of  it.  I  have  already  related  the  sound  advice  as  to  sites 
for  chapels  which  he  sent  to  the  missionaries  of  Peking.  On 
another  occasion  he  told  me  that  he  had  heard  missionaries 
were  in  the  hal)it  of  reviling  Confucius,  and  he  appeared  to  be 
very  indignant.  "That,"  said  I,  "  is  a  calumnv ;  for,  though 
some  crank  may  have  spoken  slightingly  of  the  Sage,  nn'ssion- 
arics  as  a  rule  treat  his  memory  witli  great  respect.  A\'hat 
better  ])roof  is  there  than  the  fart  that  he  is  beholden  to 
missionaries  for  the  translation  of  his  works  into  the  languages 
of  Kurojjc?  " 

Seii>iti\-e  to  anything  like  disrespcTt  to  his  countrv  or  its  in- 
stitutifjns,  he  at  another  time  expressed  disjileasure  at  the  des- 


XOTABLE  MANDARIXS  363 

ecration  of  the  dragon  pool  by  British  students,  who  turned 
it  into  a  swimming-bath.  For  Taoism  and  the  dragon  he 
cared  very  h'ttle^  but  this  was  a  sacred  place  of  his  people,  and 
had  he  not  enjoyed  the  honor  of  sacrificing  a  tiger  there  to 
procure  rain? 

Hearing  that  I  had  visited  the  Jews  in  Honan,  he  desired 
to  learn  something  about  them,  giving  me  an  opportunity  to 
speak  of  our  sacred  book,  which  has  God  for  its  author  and 
the  Jews  as  the  channel  of  communication.  "What  a  pity 
God  did  not  also  reveal  the  mysteries  of  mathematics!  "  he  an- 
swered, dryly.  He  believed  that  Heaven  inspired  Confucius, 
but  was  not  so  clear  in  regard  to  the  Hebrew  prophets.  I 
sent  him  my  book  on  the  Christian  Evidences  by  way  of  giv- 
ing him  further  light  and  to  .show  how  little  antagonism  there 
is  between  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  those  of  Confucius. 
As  long  as  he  lived  the  entire  initiative  of  the  Yamen  rested 
with  him.  His  courage  was  equal  to  his  intelligence,  and  had 
his  life  been  prolonged  it  is  certain  that  he  would  have  offered 
decided  opposition  to  the  absorption  of  Tonquin  by  the  French. 
Would  he  ha\-e  averted  the  fall  of  the  Kung  ministry,  or 
precipitated  a  worse  catastrophe?  The  race  that  produces 
such  men  as  Wensiang  and  Pao  Yun  is  not  effete. 

6.  Marquis  Tseng,  a  Chinese  Diplomat 

The  ]\rarquis  Tseng,  the  second  of  the  line,  deserves  a  high 
place  on  this  roll  of  honor.  His  services  as  diplomatic  envoy 
will  be  mentfoned  in  the  next  chaj)ter.  It  remains  to  add  here 
a  few  details  l)v  wav  of  exhibiting  the  marquis  at  home.  His 
father,  Tseng  Kofan.  having  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  Taiping  rebellion,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  new 
nobil  ty  created  to  reward  the  loyalty  of  certain  eminent  Chi- 
nese whose  devotion  saved  tlie  Manchu  house  from  extinction. 
The  second  marquis.  Tseng  Kitse,  or  "  Gearkhan  of  Tseng," 
as  he  preferred  to  call  himself,  never  saw  military  service,  and 


364  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

had  nothing  martial  in  aspect  or  bearing.  Homely  in  features 
and  feeble  in  frame,  he  possessed  great  firmness  of  character, 
with  no  small  share  of  mental  vigor.  Heir  to  a  noble  name, 
the  gates  of  office  flew  open  to  him,  without  the  necessity  of 
running  the  literary  gantlet.  He  was  nevertheless  a  Bachelor 
of  Arts  and  a  superior  scholar  in  Chinese.  A  volume  of  unpub- 
lished essays,  of  which  he  gave  me  a  manuscript  copy,  shows 
him  to  have  been  a  dihgent  student  of  history  and  politics  as 
understood  by  the  statesmen  of  China. 

When,  in  1877,  Tseng  arrived  in  Peking  in  obedience  to 
imperial  mandate  to  wait  the  will  of  his  Majesty,  he  was  nearly 
forty  years  of  age.  In  English  he  had  made  a  beginning  with 
a  view  to  the  diplomatic  service,  to  which  his  attention  had 
been  directed  by  the  mission  to  England  of  Kuo  Sungtao,  a 
familv  connection.  Living  in  the  far  interior  and  seldom  see- 
ing a  white  face,  he  made  his  way  chiefly  by  the  help  of  gram- 
mar and  dictionary.  Whether  owing  to  seclusion,  which  de- 
prived him  of  the  benefit  of  comparison,  or  to  flattery,  which 
always  stands  ready  to  inflate  a  nobleman,  he  was  not  a  little 
vain  of  his  proficiency,  presenting  his  friends  with  fans  bearing 
bilingual  inscriptions,  in  verse  of  his  own  composition.  On 
another  page  is  a  facsimile  of  one  with  which  he  honored  me. 
The  Chinese  original  is  elegant,  but  the  translation  is  a  unique 
specimen  of  "  Baboo  English." 

"  To  combine  tlie  reasons  of  Heaven,  Earth,  and  Man, 
Only  the  Sat;e's  disciple,  who  is,  can. 
Universe  to  be  included  in  knowledge 
All  men  arc,  should, 
But  only  the  wise  man  who  is,  could." 

Without  entering  himself  as  a  student  at  college,  he  came  to 
me  for  private  instruction,  seeking  information  more  particu- 
larly in  geograpliv,  liistorv,  and  European  politics,  and  sub- 
mitting for  correction  cssavs  in  English  on  those  subjects. 
The  lines  ab(jve  given,  I  need  hardly  say,  are  uncorrected ; 


^   Jo miJti'r  /L  'ff  ^>u  ff^/t.^"-''"'  '^'^'  ''""^  "'"" ;  t}» 


•k  J         J  '  iM 

5^^r^^^    IS 


%     Jjd.U^J.^.^^aJ/.'j'u.'jA^.^^^ry,  -^   ^ii* 


fyiaMn  Ui  JcfJifiJ  LnuiKj  /i  jMHw/fd  .vr  at  U^U, 


Fan  Presented  to  Dr.  Martin  by  the  Marquis  Tseng 


XO TA BLE  MANDARINS 


3f>5 


nor  need  I  add  that  they  were  written  when  he  first  came. 
He  dined  at  my  house  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  on  New- 
Year's  day  called  on  me  in  sable  robe  and  fur  cap  adorned 
with  peacock's  plume  and  ruby  button,  such  calls  on  that  day 
being  reserved  for  parents,  teachers,  and  official  superiors. 

In  speech  he  was  fluent,  but  ungrammatical,  and  he  always 
read  and  wrote  with  difficulty.  Still  the  little  that  he  knew 
proved  of  great  advantage  in  social  intercourse,  whicli  is  half  the 
battle  in  diplomacy,  and  contributed  to  make  him  what  he  was, 
the  ablest  envoy  China  has  ever  sent  to  reside  in  a  foreign  capital. 

For  the  success  of  the  Marquis  Tseng,  of  his  predecessor 
and  successors,  it  would  not  be  fair  to  withhold  a  large  share 
of  credit  from  Sir 
Halliday  McCartney, 
the  able  adviser  to  the 
Chinese  legation  in 
London.  It  was  under 
the  patronage  of  the 
first  marquis  that  Sir 
Halliday  became  con- 
spicuous. Beginning 
as  an  army  surgeon,  he 
distinguished  himself 
by  operations  not 
purely  surgical  against 
the  Taipings,  casting 
both  shells  and  can- 
non, though  without  a 
particle  of  experience 
in  military  engineer- 
ing. Tseng  Kofan, 
becoming  vicerov  of 
Xankiiig,  made  him  superintendent  of  an  arsenal  at  that  city. 
For  his  place  in  London  he  is  indebted  to  viceroy  Li  and  Kuo 


THE    MAKOllS    TSEXG    IN"    SUMMER    DRESS. 


366  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

Sungtao,  both  of  whom  were  well  acquainted  with  him  and  his 
career. 

The  marchioness,  who  joined  her  husband  in  Peking  shortly 
before  his  departure  for  England,  had  never  seen  a  foreign 
lady  until  she  made  acquaintance  with  my  wife.  Graceful 
and  refined  in  manners,  like  other  women  of  high  rank  she 
was  unable  to  read  or  write  her  own  language.  Her  two 
daughters  were  better  educated,  and  one  of  them  acted  as 
her  amanuensis.  On  starting  to  England  the  marquis  an- 
nounced that  her  ladyship  would  beg  to  be  excused  from  shak- 
ing hands  with  men,  a  point  on  which  Chinese  etiquette  is  so 
rigid  that  men  and  women  in  passing  tilings  to  each  other  are 
required  to  lay  them  on  a  table  instead  of  handing  them 
directly.  So  far  is  this  carried  that  one  of  the  classic  books 
raises  the  question  whether,  if  a  woman  is  drowning,  it  is  per- 
mitted even  to  her  brother-in-law  to  take  her  by  the  hand  to 
save  her  life. 

After  a  few  years  in  England  she  got  bravely  over  her 
scruples.  It  may,  however,  be  doubted  whether  anything  she 
ever  met  with  in  the  customs  of  the  \\'est  gave  her  such  a 
shock  as  she  experienced  in  calling  on  the  wife  of  one  of  our 
French  j)rofessors  after  her  return  to  Peking.  Her  attention 
was  drawn  to  a  magnificent  embroidery  covering  a  wliole  side 
of  the  room,  and  she  was  expected  to  admire  it.  "  Tliat,"  she 
whispered,  as  she  gasped  for  breatli,  "is  a  funeral  paliy 

The  honors  witli  whicli  the  marquis  was  welcomed  on  his 
return  after  an  absence  of  nine  years  led  us  to  anticipate  a 
favorable  reception  for  his  progressive  views.  But  from  the 
day  of  his  entrance  into  the  Tsungli  Yamen  he  found  himself 
an  ol)jcct  of  suspicion — Hsii  ^'ungi,  an  able  conservative,  be- 
coming his  bitter  opponent  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to 
ncutrah'/.e  liis  influmcv.  Wvxv.  is  an  examjile  of  tlie  wav  in 
whirl)  that  was  done. 

The  emperor,  after  questioning  the  manjuis  on  the  subject 


NOTABLE  MAXDARIXS 


367 


of  education  in  the  West,  and  referring  to  his  well-known  pro- 
ficiency in  the  English  language,  had  the  good  sense  to  appoint 
him  rector  of  the  Imperial  College.  The  office  had  not  previ- 
ously existed,  and  it  carried  with  it  such  powers  as  might  have 
wrought  a  much-needed  revolution  in  things  educational ;  but 
the  next  day  the  Yamen  sent  up  a  memorial  saying  that  it 
would  be  well  to  have  two  rectors,  nominating  Hsii  as  col- 
league to  the  marquis.  What  headway  could  be  expected  with 
one  pulling  forward  and  the  other  backward?  The  viceroy 
Li  was  also  against  him,  not  as  a  conservative,  but  from  fear 
for  his  leadership  in  the  councils  of  the  nation.  I'here  existed, 
moreover,  a  private  picjue :  a  daughter  of  the  marquis  married 
to  Li's  nephew  had,  with  her  father's  consent,  abandoned  her 
husband,  whose  character  was  far  from  exemplary. 

This   daughter  was  known   in    England   as    Lady   Foresea 
Woods.     A   younger  daughter.   Lady  Blossom,  married  her 


IlIJ      1          \K\\      1         fills  \  Mil      IN         Jl      IDUllllTllI      11\1  IJl        IS 

\  1    N  \  N 111     \      1  I  II  II  N       I       I    1    N  1  I  1    \     HI    1 


father's  pri\-ate  secretary,  acting,  with  his  approval,  on  the 
English  piinci[)le  of  marrying  a  man  wliom  she  knew  and 
Uived.  The  marriage  festivities  presented  a  happy  combina- 
tion of  the  Asiatic  and  European.    On  that  occasion  the  mar- 


368 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


quis  invited  his  foreign  friends,  including  many  missionaries. 
Not  long,  alas!  after  that  gay  pageant  the  same  individuals 
were  invited  to  attend  his  funeral,  in  the  same  hall. 

As  a  statesman,  whether  representing  his  country  abroad  or 
sitting  in  her  councils  at  home,  the  Marquis  Tseng  displayed 


THE    BRIDE    IN    THE    FLOWERY    CHAIR    ARRIVING   AT    HER    NEW   HOME. 

prudence,  patience,  and  firmness— the  best  qualities  of  his 
race.  Before  leaving  England  he  gave  his  name  to  a  notable 
paper  in  the  "  Oriental  Quarteriy,"  entitled  "  China,  Asleep 
and  Awake."  It  was  supposed  to  foreshadow  the  goal  toward 
which  he  intended  to  direct  his  energies.  How  far  he  suc- 
ceeded in  waking  the  giant  is  obvious  from  the  issue  of  the 
recent  war. 


7.  Li  S/iailan,  a  Chinese  Professor 

In  this  gallery  of  portraits  Li  Shenlan,  one  of  our  professors, 
merits  a  niche  as  the  most  eminent  mathematician  China  has 
produced.  Born  near  Hangchau,  in  a  section  of  country 
noted  for  literary  cultivation,  he  became  Bachelor  of  Letters 
at  an  early  age,  but  soon  ceased  to  compete  for  the  higher 
degrees.      He   had   hit   on   something    more    satisfying    than 


N 


NOTABLE  MANDARINS  369 

phrase-mongering.  A  mathematical  work  by  one  of  the  Jesuit 
missionaries  had  fallen  into  his  hands  and  caused  his  latent 
genius  to  awake.  Not  only  did  he  ransack  libraries  and 
read  with  understanding  everything  on  the  subject  to  be 
found  in  the  language  of  his  country ;  he  gave  much  of  his 
time  to  original  speculations,  some  of  which  he  pubhshed, 
showing  that  he  had  stumbled  on  the  idea  of  fluxions  without 
having  heard  of  either  Newton  or  Leibnitz. 

Hearing  of  the  arrival  of  foreigners  in  Shanghai,  he  went 
thither  in  quest  of  further  light ;  and  meeting  with  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Wylie,  of  the  London  Mission,  aided  him  in  putting  into 
Chinese  Herschel's  Astronomy,  De  Morgan's  Algebra,  Euclid's 
Geometry  (of  which  Father  Ricci  had  translated  the  first  part), 
Loomis's  Conic  Sections  and  Infinitesimal  Calculus.  Dr. 
Edkins  also  obtained  his  assistance  in  translating  Whewell's 
Mechanics.  These  were  to  him  so  many  successive  revela- 
tions, and  he  rejoiced  to  find  himself  in  a  world  of  light  instead 
of  groping  in  search  of  it.  Wylie,  himself  a  good  mathema- 
tician, greatly  admired  the  talents  of  his  collaborator,  who,  he 
assured  me,  had  often  seized  the  spirit  of  an  abstruse  passage 
when  the  translator  was  unable  to  get  beyond  the  letter.  The 
only  advantage  which  the  Englishman  possessed  over  the 
Chinese  lay  in  his  access  to  the  sources  of  scientific  knowledge. 

The  works  above  named  having  brought  Mr.  Li  to  the 
notice  of  high  officials,  he  was  employed  as  mathematician  by 
Tseng  Kofan,  viceroy  of  Nanking.  When  the  school  of  inter- 
preters molted  into  the  College  of  Peking  he  was  recommended 
to  the  Tsungli  Yamen  for  a  professorship.  He  was  there  when 
I  was  made  president,  and  at  first  manifested  a  little  jealousy  ; 
but  it  soon  wore  off,  and  he  became  one  of  my  best  friends. 

"What  do  you  think  of  Li  Shenlan?"  asked  Wensiang,  the 
prime  minister. 

I  had  known  Li  for  ten  years,  and  I  replied  without  hesita- 
tion, "He  is  a  phoenix — a  rare  bird  in  China." 


37°  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

"What  a  pity  he  is  so  old!"  rejoined  the  minister. 

He  was  not  over  sixty,  but  the  brightness  of  his  intellect 
had  begun  to  wane.  Though  he  lived  fifteen  years,  he  pro- 
duced nothing  new.  His  example,  however,  inspired  our 
students  with  zeal  for  mathematical  studies,  though  the  diffi- 
culty of  following  his  reasoning  was  aggravated  by  a  villainous 
patois,  which  made  him  quite  unintelligible  to  the  people  of 
Peking.  It  raised  me  greatly  in  his  estimation  when,  through 
my  familiarity  with  algebraic  methods,  I  once  succeeded  in 
solving  a  problem  in  a  scientific  magazine  over  which  he  had 
toiled  without  success. 

While  he  was  with  Mr.  Wylie  he  came  very  near  professing 
Christianity.  Deterred  by  fear  of  prejudice  to  his  official  pre- 
ferment, he  retained  in  considerable  measure  the  impressions 
he  then  received.  To  my  question,  "  Are  you  not  lonely?  "  he 
answered,  "  How  can  I  be  lonely  when  God  ^Shangti^  is  with 
me?  "  His  faith,  if  he  had  any,  was  a  compound  of  West  and 
East.  Professing  to  be  a  Confucian,  he  was  an  eclectic,  graft- 
ing ideas  ahke  from  India  and  the  Occident  on  the  doctrines 
of  the  Chinese  Sage.  Holding  the  vulgar  idolatry  in  contempt, 
he  still  felt  annoyed  to  have  his  countrymen  regarded  as 
heathen.  "  Why  may  not  7t'<?send  missionaries  to  your  country 
as  well  as  you  to  ours?  "  he  once  asked  me.  I  might  have  an- 
swered, "  Because  water  does  not  flow  upliill,"  but  I  refrained 
from  wounding  his  feelings,  and  replied,  "Why  don't  you? 
Your  missionaries  would  be  treated  in  our  country  much  bet- 
ter than  ours  are  in  yours."  The  fact  is,  as  he  was  well  aware, 
that  Confucianism  has  nothing  to  propagate  in  the  way  of  re- 
ligion, its  ideas  on  that  head  being  as  faint  and  cold  as  moon- 
shine. As  for  the  rival  creeds  of  liuddha  and  Tao,  they  are 
scarcely  able  to  keep  themselves  alive  on  their  own  soil.  Of 
stout  unwieldy  form,  massive  head,  and  heavy  features.  Pro- 
fessor Li  so  much  resembled  the  viceroy  Tso  that  his  likeness 
was  once  published  for  that  of  the  conqueror  of  Kashgar. 


CHAPTER   X 

EARLY    DIPLOMATIC    MISSIONS    FROM    CHINA    TO    THE    WEST 

Pin's  voyages— The  Burlingame  embassy— First  mission  to  France— 
P'irst  to  England— First  to  Germany— Chinese  students  in  the  United 
States  — Coolies  in  Cuba— Chunghau's  mistakes  — Marquis  Tseng's 
successes 

THE  intercourse  of  states,  as  such,  comes  under  the  head 
of  diplomacy.  In  ancient  China  such  intercourse  was 
frequent  and  well  understood,  the  empire  being  divided  into 
numerous  principahties,  nominally  vassal,  but  really  indepen- 
dent. On  their  consolidation,  b.c.  240,  diplomacy  took  its 
place  among  the  lost  arts.  There  was  henceforth  only  one 
state,  with  no  equals.  All  the  kingdoms  of  eastern  Asia,  with 
the  single  exception  of  Japan,  rendered  voluntary  homage  to 
the  greatness  of  the  central  empire— approaching  the  dragon 
throne  as  bearers  of  tribute,  and  feeling  repaid  bv  the  privilege 
of  an  occasional  exchange  of  untaxed  commodities.  China, 
on  her  part,  disdained  to  send  an  embassy  in  return.  Her 
missions  were  not  those  of  reciprocal  courtesy,  but  the  acts  of 
a  superior  conferring  honors,  or  deciding  disputes  when  ap- 
pea'ed  to.  X"o  wonder  that  the  claim  of  the  nations  of  the 
West  to  treat  on  equal  terms  was  rudely  rejected  until  they 
proved  themselves  more  than  a  match  for  China  on  the  field 
of  battle.  Signing  treaties  extorted  bv  arms,  she  was  as  anxious 
to  keep  diplomatists  at  a  distance  as  generals,  and  not  until  the 
last  defenses  of  the  capital  liad  fallen  did  she  consent  to  their 
residence  within  its  walls.  A  figment  of  the  old  exclusiveness 
still  remained.     The  court   continued   to   be  inaccessible  to 


372  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

those  who  were  accredited  as  ministers  "near  his  Imperial 
Majesty."  Subject  to  this  restriction,  the  representatives  of 
Occidental  powers  were  freely  received.  But  to  receive  is  one 
thing,  to  send  another.  The  large  number  of  envoys  from  the 
West  who  came  to  offer  the  salutations  of  their  masters  fur- 
nished food  for  vanity,  though  few  brought  presents,  and  none 
called  themselves  bearers  of  tribute.  To  reciprocate  these 
courtesies  would  have  been  to  renounce  a  fancied  superiority. 

Yet  the  TsungU  Yamen  at  length  saw  the  necessity  of  doing 
so.  Wensiang  took  it  for  granted  when,  looking  over  my 
translation  of  Wheaton's  "  International  Law,"  he  said,  "When 
we  send  ministers  to  Europe  this  will  be  our  guide."  But 
"  when  "  ?  The  court,  less  enlightened,  desired  to  defer  in- 
definitely that  humiliating  necessity.  Owing  to  its  success  in 
staving  off  the  audience,  it  regarded  itself  as  not  in  communi- 
cation with  Western  courts ;  nor  did  it  wish  to  establish  with 
them  relations  of  any  kind. 

Mr.  Hart  was  unwearied  in  his  efforts  to  initiate  reciprocal 
intercourse.  He  represented  that  foreign  ministers  in  Peking 
would  have  it  all  their  own  way  so  long  as  China  had  no  other 
channel  by  which  to  reach  the  ear  of  their  sovereigns.  His 
arguments  made  an  impression,  but  the  step  was  too  serious  to 
be  undertaken  hastily.  It  occurred  to  him  that  a  mission  of 
observation  might  pave  the  way.  Getting  leave  to  go  home 
for  personal  reasons  in  1866,  he  proposed  that  a  commissioner 
should  accompany  him  to  England  and  make  an  experimen- 
tal visit  to  other  treaty  powers.  Pinchun,  a  respectable  old 
Manchu  who  had  filled  the  post  of  prefect,  was  at  tliat  time 
acting  as  private  secretary  to  the  inspector-general,  l^xpress- 
ing  himself  as  willing  to  brave  the  dangers  of  tlie  deep,  he  was 
designated  to  proceed  to  the  A\'estern  world,  not  as  minister, 
but  as  a  sf)rt  of  dipk^natic  scout. 

Accomj)anied  by  two  young  men,  one  Knglish  and  one 
French,  from   the   customs  service,  as  also  by  three  students 


EARLY  DIPLOMATIC  MISSIONS  Z1Z 

from  the  school  of  interpreters,  he  had  a  considerable  retinue, 
put  on  something  of  the  state  of  an  ambassador,  and  was 
h'onizetl  through  Europe.  He  was  everywhere  received  by 
crowned  heads,  though  not  provided  with  credentials  entitling 
him  to  sucli  distinction,  and,  w-ith  long  beard,  wise  look,  and 
courtly  bearing,  he  everywhere  made  a  favorable  impression. 
What  was  more  important,  the  impressions  made  on  him  he 
carefully  recorded  in  two  forms— one  a  volume  of  verse,  the 
other  a  prose  narrative,  the  realism  of  the  latter  correcting  the 
romance  of  the  former.  He  first  rushes  into  rhyme  on  finding 
himself  on  board  a  steamer  in  the  Jici  shni  yang,  the  "  dark- 
watered  ocean,"  an  epithet  at  least  as  good  as  the  "wine- 
faced  ocean  "  of  Homer.  He  next  invokes  the  muse  to  cele- 
brate the  wonders  of  Shanghai,  one  of  which  was  a  bright, 
lacquered,  easy-going  spring-carriage,  in  which  he  was  treated 
to  a  drive  in  companv  with  fair  ladies.  Is  not  his  enthusiasm 
natural  when  we  remember  that  Chinese  carriages  have  no 
springs  and  that  mandarins  never  drive  with  Chinese  women? 
But  I  must  give  the  reader  his  own  lines,  unadulterated  by  any 
fancy  of  my  own  : 

"  No  artist's  pencil  can  do  them  justice, 
Those  fair  ones  of  the  West! 
Slender  and  graceful  their  waists ; 
Long  and  trailing  their  skirts. 
When  they  pass  you  to  windward, 
A  strange  fragrance  is  wafted  to  your  nostrils. 
I  have  talcen  them  by  the  hand, 
And  together  ascended  a  lacquered  chariot. 
Their  whiteness  comes  not  from  starch, 
Xor  tlieir  lilush  from  cinnabar, 
For  nature's  colors  spurn  tlie  aid  of  art. 
Their  twittering  words  are  hard  to  comprehend, 
But  I  do  not  yield  to  Minghuang  in  interpreting  the  language  of 
flowers." 

In  Europe  railways  and  telegraphs  kindle  his  imagination, 


374  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

both  being  equally  strange ;  and  courts,  camps,  and  cities  are 
all  mirrored  in  that  book  of  verse.  If  the  poetry  is  not  of  the 
highest  order,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  never  had  Chinese  poet  an 
equal  opportunity  for  expressing  the  emotion  of  surprise. 

The  prose  narrative  is  a  meager  selection  from  his  olBcial 
reports,  embodying  only  what  he  thought  it  prudent  to  pub- 
lish ;  for  it  was  then  a  crime  to  show  any  leaning  toward  the 
things  or  people  of  the  West.  For  every  word  of  praise  he  no 
doubt  had  ten  of  censure,  for  which,  like  Usbek  in  the  "  Per- 
sian Letters,"  he  easily  found  material ;  but  the  censure  was 
confidential  and  did  not  appear  in  print. 

The  next  year  the  Chinese  government  launched  its  first 
diplomatic  mission.  Prepared  though  it  was  by  the  reports  of 
Pinchun,  it  still  hesitated  ;  but  an  unforeseen  occurrence  pre- 
cipitated the  decision.  Mr.  Burlingame,  having  filled  two 
terms  as  minister,  was  about  to  return  to  the  United  States  to 
resume  his  place  in  the  political  movements  of  the  day.  Packed 
for  the  voyage,  he  called  at  the  Yamen  to  take  leave  of  Prince 
Kung  and  his  colleagues,  the  prince  inviting  me  to  act  as  in- 
terpreter. After  professions  of  regret,  which  were  profuse  and 
sincere  on  both  sides,  iMr.  Burlingame  offered  to  serve  them 
by  correcting  misapprehensions. 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  to  be  done  in  that  line,"  said  the 
prince.      "Are  you  going  through  Europe?" 

Mr.  Burlingame  answering  in  the  affirmative,  the  prince  re- 
quested his  good  offices  at  the  courts  of  Paris  and  London, 
especially  the  latter.  Wensiang,  always  the  chief  spokesman, 
enlarged  on  the  nature  of  the  representations  to  be  made,  and 
added,  "  In  short,  you  will  be  our  minister." 

"  If  it  were  possible,"  interposed  the  prince,  "for  one  min- 
ister to  serve  two  countries,  we  should  be  glad  to  have  you  for 
our  envoy." 

'J'his  remark,  uttered  half  in  jest,  was  the  germ  of  the  Bur- 
lingame mission.     It  struck  Burlingame  as  opening  a  pleasing 


EARLY  DIPLOMATIC  MISSIONS  37 S 

vista  of  possibilities.  To  a  temperament  like  his  the  prospect 
of  being  the  first  to  introduce  the  old  empire  of  the  East  to 
the  courts  of  the  Western  world  was  irresistibly  fascinating. 
It  might  delay,  but  might  it  not  help,  his  pohtical  career? 

Nothing  further  at  the  time  was  said  on  the  subject,  and 
after  arranging  for  a  farewell  interview  at  the  United  States 
legation  the  parties  separated.  Instead  of  going  directly 
home,  Burlingame  went  around  to  see  Hart.  He  found  him 
not  only  in  sympathy  with  the  prince's  wish,  but,  with  char- 
acteristic readiness  of  resource,  prepared  to  make  an  effort  to 
carry  it  into  effect. 

In  taking  the  matter  up  so  promptly  Hart  was  possibly  in- 
fluenced in  some  degree  by  a  desire  to  serve  Burlingame  in 
return  for  his  having  helped  him  to  the  inspector-generalship. 
But  he  recognized  the  opportunity  as  just  what  he  had  longed 
for :  on  one  hand,  to  draw  China  out  of  her  shell ;  on  the  other, 
to  have  her  represented  abroad  by  a  man  of  tact  and  experi- 
ence, backed  by  the  influence  of  a  powerful  nation.  So  ener- 
getically did  he  pull  the  wires  that  at  the  farewell  interview  the 
prince  placed  in  Mr.  Burlingame's  hands  an  imperial  decree 
appointing  him  envoy  extraordinary,  with  a  general  mission  to 
the  treaty  powers.  A  similar  commission,  Hart  afterward  told 
me,  had  been  offered  to  himself.  He  did  not  entertain  the 
proposal ;  whether  on  account  of  his  youth  and  want  of  pres- 
tige, or  because  he  feared  that,  like  Lay's  commission  to  buy 
a  fleet,  it  might  cost  him  the  position  he  then  enjoyed,  he  did 
not  say  ;  but  he  added  :  "  This  will  make  the  post  respectable  for 
somebody  else  at  some  future  time,"  showing  that  the  tempting 
vision  had  not  been  wholly  banished. 

Two  native  ofiicials,  one  of  them  a  Tartar  well  known  to 
me,  were  associated  with  ]\Ir.  Burlingame,  an  arrangement  es- 
sential to  confidence  on  the  part  of  China,  and  committing  her 
to  the  policy  of  sending  her  own  people,  while  it  enhanced  the 
dignity  of  the  chief  envoy. 


376  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

The  "  Ecumenical  Embassy,"  as  it  was  facetiously  called, 
made  a  great  noise,  especially  in  the  United  States,  but  its 
objects  were  misunderstood  and  its  results  disappointing.  From 
a  fervid  passage  in  one  of  Burlin game's  after-dinner  orations 
it  was  inferred  that  missionaries  were  invited  to  "set  up  the 
shining  cross  on  every  hill,"  that  engineers  were  to  be  engaged 
to  open  mines,  and,  to  complete  the  program,  that  all  the  ap- 
pliances of  Western  civilization  were  to  follow  in  quick  succes- 
sion. The  pleasing  prospect  was  no  doubt  described  as  in  the 
pauUo-post-future  ;  but  people  of  warm  imagination  took  it 
in  the  present  tense.  One  of  these  was  Mr.  Ross  Brown,  his 
successor  in  the  United  States  legation,  who,  recalled  after  a 
brief  tenure  of  office,  made  no  secret  of  his  lost  illusions. 

Instead  of  expediting  the  development  of  the  country,  the 
real  aim  of  the  embassy  was  to  obtain  delay,  to  set  forth  the 
embarrassments  of  China  impoverished  by  a  foreign  war  and 
wasted  by  intestine  rebellions,  to  crave  the  indulgence  of 
Western  powers  and  induce  them  to  recognize  the  right  of 
China  to  take  her  own  time  and  proceed  in  her  own  way.- 
This  right  was  expressly  recognized  in  the  unfortunate  treaty 
made  in  Washington  in  1868.  I  call  it  "  unfortunate  "  because 
its  most  progressive  article,  that  which  acknowledged  a  "  tend- 
ency toward  homogeneity  of  civilization  "  and  engaged  to 
introduce  a  silver  coinage,  was  ol^jected  to  by  the  Chinese 
government  and  excepted  from  ratification,  while  twelve  years 
later  its  stipulations  in  favor  of  free  emigration  were  denounced 
and  abrogated  by  our  government.  The  draft  of  that  docu- 
ment was  drawn  up,  not  by  Mr.  Burlingame,  as  generally  sup- 
posed, but  by  Mr.  Seward,  as  the  "  great  secretary  "  himself 
told  me  with  no  little  satisfaction  ;  but  it  goes  without  saying 
that  he  embodied  the  ideas  of  the  Chinese  envovs. 

Two  parties  were  thrown  into  a  state  of  anxiety  by  the  en- 
thusiastic reception  accorded  the  embassv.  The  Chinese  were 
alarmed  to  see  it  taken  as  a  harbinger  of  the  new  era  which 


EARLY  DIPLOMATIC  M I  SSI  OX S  2>11 

they  sought  to  postpone.  When  Dr.  Williams  went  to  the 
Yamen  to  exchange  ratified  copies  of  the  treaty  (I  acting  as 
interpreter)  the  Chinese  ministers  expressed  their  apprehensions 
without  reserve,  reiterating  in  substance  what  Wensiang  had 
previously  said:  "Why  should  you  Westerns  be  so  impatient 
to  have  us  move?  When  China  does  make  a  start  she  will 
move  faster  than  you  wish."  On  the  other  hand,  the  friends 
of  progress  dreaded  its  effect  in  lulling  the  Chinese  into  indif- 
ference. Nor  was  Mr.  Hart  himself  free  from  misgivings  on 
that  head.  "Should  it  have  that  effect,"  he  said  to  me,  "it 
were  better  it  had  never  been  born."  He  had  favored  it  as  a 
progressive  measure,  a  necessary  step  toward  bringing  China 
into  the  family  of  nations. 

In  England  and  France  the  mission  was  courteously  received 
and  made  a  long  halt,  but  nothing  was  concluded.  In  a  letter 
to  me  from  London,  Burlingame  cx[)ressed  himself  as  confident 
of  eventual  success.  His  last  communication  was  a  telegram, 
via  Siberia,  addressed  to  me  for  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  reporting 
a  favorable  reception  at  Berlin  :  "  Concluded  negotiations  with 
Prussia.  Strong  declaration  by  Bismarck  in  favor  of  China. 
Now  to  Russia!" 

No  convention  was  signed  in  any  of  the  three  capitals,  but 
preliminaries  were  arranged,  and  definite  negotiations  reserved 
for  another  visit,  to  be  made  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  months. 
The  embassy  proceeded  to  Russia,  and  there  the  curtain  fell 
on  the  career  of  its  brilliant  chief.  In  the  wording  of  this  last 
despatch  there  is  no  trace  of  discouragement ;  had  he  been 
spared  a  little  longer,  it  is  highly  probable  that  he  would  have 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  treaty  from  each  of  the  four  great 
European  powers,  in  which  case  his  mission  would  have  been 
not  a  failure,  but  a  splendid  success.  Failure  it  was  from  a 
diplomatic  point  of  view,  terminating  as  it  did  ;  yet  not  a  whit 
the  less  must  we  see  in  it  an  indispensable  link  in  the  chain 
that  was  drawing  the  West  and  the  East  together. 


378  J    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Our  government  was  fortunate  in  having  Anson  Burlingame 
for  its  first  representative  at  Peking.  Before  going  there  he 
had  been  objected  to  by  Austria  because  on  the  floor  of  Con- 
gress he  had  spoken  of  her  "  iron  rule,"  referring  to  her  treat- 
ment of  Hungary.  A  finished  orator,  he  was  a  man  of  broad 
sympathies,  capable  of  enthusiasm  in  a  good  cause,  and  en- 
dowed with  indomitable  energy.  When  Preston  Brooks,  infu- 
riated by  Sumner's  attack  on  slavery,  assailed  him  with  a  deadly 
bludgeon  at  the  door  of  the  Senate,  it  was  Burlingame  who 
came  forward  as  avenger.  Brooks  declined  to  meet  him  on 
the  field  of  honor,  and  that  affair  did  more  to  bring  him  before 
the  eyes  of  the  nation  than  all  his  eloquent  speeches.  One 
day,  in  Indianapolis,  as  he  stepped  down  from  the  platform 
after  a  camj)aign  oration,  his  hand  was  grasped  by  Tom  Mar- 
shall, of  Kentucky.  Expressing  some  surprise  that  the  South- 
ern statesman  had  come  so  far  to  hear  him  speak,  "  It  was  not 
to  hear  you  speak,"  replied  Marshall,  "but  just  \o  see  the  man 
who  was  not  afraid  to  go  to  Niagara."  His  real  motive  was 
to  express  his  disapproval  of  Brooks's  brutality.  Irregular  a.s 
Burlingame's  action  was,  it  gave  him  the  mission  to  China. 

Representing  an  unaggressive  country,  and  full  of  personal 
magnetism,  he  was  not  long  in  acquiring  an  ascendancy  in  the 
diplomatic  corps.  Under  his  influence  that  body  adopted  and 
I)ursued  for  a  time  what  was  known  as  the  "cooperative  pol- 
icy." Sinking  petty  diff^erences,  the  legations  agreed  to  act 
together  as  far  as  possible  in  order  to  secure  their  common 
ends  and  promote  the  good  of  China.  Had  thev  continued 
in  that  spirit  until  the  present  dav,  who  can  doubt  that  the 
moral  force  derived  from  union  would  have  had  a  beneficial 
effect  in  stimulating  progress  and  deterring  from  outrage? 

Burlingame  and  the  British  minister  were  particularl}-  inti- 
mate, a  day  rarely  juassing  without  the  latter  appearing  at  the 
United  States  legation  to  drink  tea  and  discuss  the  ([uestions 
of  the  hour.      Each  imagined   that  he  was  leadint:  the  other. 


EARLY  DIPLOMATIC  MISSIONS 


379 


Like  double  stars,  their  influence  was  mutual,  but  in  power 
of  persuasion  Bruce  was  no  match  for  Burlingame.  His  suc- 
cess in  inducing  the 
British  representative 
to  consent  to  the  dis- 
missal of  the  Lay- 
Osborne  flotilla  was  a 
signal  event  in  his  dip- 
lomatic career.  From 
that  day  his  influence 
with  the  Chinese  was 
conspicuous,  and  it 
grew  until  it  clothed 
him  with  the  honors 
of  an  ambassador  to 
half  the  universe. 

How  much  the 
government  was  dis- 
posed to  profit  by  the 
experience  of  its  of- 
ficials acquired  in  that 
expedition  may  be 
seen  in  the  fact  that  one  of  Burlingame's  associates  was  sent 
into  honorable  exile  as  governor  of  a  post  on  the  frontier  of 
IMongolia,  while  the  other  was  buried  in  an  equally  obscure 
region  of  western  China.  There  was  no  disposition  to  follow 
it  up  by  permanent  missions.  To  bring  the  government  to 
that  point  more  than  one  lesson  of  the  rudest  sort  was  still 
required. 

Those  lessons  were  not  long  delayed.  The  next  year  (June, 
1870)  occurred  the  Tientsin  massacre,  a  bloody  tragedy,  which 
must  have  precipitated  a  conflict  with  France  but  for  the 
bloodier  scenes  of  the  Franco-German  War.  So  obviously 
was  China  in   the   wrong    that,   notwithstanding  the   impos- 


MIXISTERS    OF   THE    FIRST    FOLK    TRF.ATY    POWERS. 
BERTHEMV,  \LANGALI,  BRLXE,  EURI.INGA.ME. 


380  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

sibility  of  immediate  vengeance,  the  French  representative 
succeeded  in  inducing  the  government  to  avert  future  danger 
by  paying  a  heavy  indemnity  and  sending  a  special  envoy  to 
make  a  humble  apology.  The  envoy  chosen  was  Chunghau, 
superintendent  of  the  northern  ports,  an  amiable  official,  to 
whose  indecision  the  deplorable  occurrence  was  mainly  due. 
On  the  eve  of  setting  out  he  requested  me  to  select  one  of  our 
students  to  act  as  interpreter  for  the  French  language.  I 
named  Mr.  Tching  Tchang,  a  young  Catholic,  who  has  since 
continued  in  the  service  and  greatly  distinguished  himself, 
being  more  than  once  chai'i^c  d'ajfaiirs  at  Paris  and  intrusted 
with  special  missions  in  connection  with  the  Pamir  question. 
For  English  interpreter  he  took  Mr.  Chang  Toyi,  a  student 
who  had  accompanied  the  Eurlingame  mission,  afterward 
Englisli  tutor  to  tlie  emperor. 

^Vhen  Chunghau  arrived  in  France  the  government  was  still 
at  Bordeaux.  Proceeding  to  Paris  after  the  suppression  of  the 
Commune,  he  was  shown  the  sewers  of  the  city.  Entering  at 
one  j)()iiit  and  emerging  at  another,  his  attention  was  struck 
by  a  vast  concourse  that  greeted  his  rea[)pearance,  and  he  in- 
ferred that  this  subterranean  transit,  dm-ing  which  he  had  been 
trampled  over  by  the  feet  of  thousands  of  French  people,  was 
a  premeditated  indignity,  designed  to  expiate  the  misdeeds  of 
his  countrymen.  Two  ]]razilian  princes,  he  was  told,  had 
visited  the  sewers  the  same  day,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  ])er- 
sisted  in  regarding  himself  as  a  vicarious  victim.  On  his 
return  he  sjxike  to  me  of  tlie  ha\'of~,  made  bv  siege  and  insur- 
rection, adding  that  ]M-;incc  was  slill  a  formidable  power,  "a 
wounded  tiger,  not  to  be  trifled  with."  What  he  saw  of  the 
l)ower  of  r'rance  onl)-  served  to  give  him  and  his  people  a 
more  exalted  estimate  of  tlial  of  (uTinaiiv,  before  which  they 
have  been  (li>])osed  to  bow  down  and  worship  ever  since. 

The  mission  to  England  in  1S76  had  a  sinn'lar  origin.  Its 
primary  ol)ject  was  to  avert  war  by  apologizing  for  an  outrage, 


EARLY  DirLOMATIC  MISSIONS  381 

the  official  murder  of  a  young  Englishman  by  the  name  of 
Margary ;  but  in  this  instance  we  have  to  note  a  step  in  ad- 
vance—  the  minister  was  appointed  to  reside  in  England  for  a 
term  of  years.  For  this  post  the  choice  fell  on  Kuo  Sungtao, 
a  man  of  genial  manners  and  of  high  repute  in  the  Chinese 
world  of  letters,  member  of  the  Hanlin  Academy,  and  ex- 
governor  of  the  province  of  Canton. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  capital,  to  which  with  many 
high  officials  he  had  been  summoned  to  wait  for  an  appoint- 
ment, he  came  to  call  on  me  ;  and  the  same  day  I  received  a 
call  from  General  Tseng  (brother  of  the  first  marquis),  who 
had  been  a  provincial  governor  and  was  afterward  viceroy  of 
Nanking.  Both  asked  me  what  particular  measure  I  would 
recommend  as  of  first  importance  for  China.  I  replied,  "The 
establishment  of  permanent  legations  in  the  leading  countries 
of  the  West."  On  receiving  his  appointment  Mr.  Kuo  re- 
minded me  of  the  opinion  I  had  expressed,  and  professed  to 
have  been  much  struck  by  it.  A  friend  of  his  by  the  name  of 
Liu,  who  by  his  request  was  associated  with  him  as  vice-min- 
ister, was  annoyed  to  find  himself  regarded  in  the  light  of  a 
secretary.  He  quarreled  with  his  chief  and  denounced  him 
for  unpatriotic  compliance  with  foreign  usages.  Touching  at 
IVfalta  on  their  way  to  England,  they  were  invited  by  the  gov- 
ernor to  inspect  the  fortifications.  During  a  sudden  shower 
the  governor  threw  h  s  cloak  over  the  gay  robes  of  the  Chinese 
minister.  Kuo's  acceptance  of  this  kindness  was  represented 
as  a  disgrace  to  his  country— not  less  than  if  he  had  allowed  the 
English  flag  to  be  raised  above  the  Chinese. 

Deeming  him  the  right  man  to  uphold  the  honor  of  tlie  Flowery 
Land,  the  government  gave  this  ill-natured  creature  a  commis- 
sion as  minister  to  Germanv.  During  his  sojourn  at  Berlin, 
which  was  very  short,  he  made  himself  supremely  disagreeable 
by  petty  quibbles,  such  as  an  obstinate  determination  to  use  red 
cards  in  official  visits.     On  his  homeward  voyage,  the  passen- 


382  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

gers  were  much  excited  one  morning  by  a  squall  that  had  its 
origin  in  the  cabin  of  the  Chinese  minister.  His  servant  was 
seen  cowering  on  the  floor,  while  the  master  was  menacing 
him  with  something  dreadful  in  an  unknown  tongue.  Some 
of  the  officers  calling  an  interpreter,  Liu  explained  that  on 
going  to  sleep  he  had  laid  his  false  teeth  in  a  wash-basin,  and 
that  the  servant  had  thrown  them  into  the  sea ;  exclaiming  in 
tones  of  despair,  "What  shall  I  do?  If  I  have  no  teeth,  how 
can  I  see  the  emperor?  "  He  was  pacified  by  tlie  assurance 
that  his  loss  could  be  repaired  at  Shanghai.  His  patriotism  was 
not  proof  against  the  seductions  of  artificial  teeth.  Liu's  re- 
ports, which  I  have  read,  were  full  of  bitter  invective  against 
the  people  of  the  West ;  those  of  Kuo  were  of  a  diflferent 
character,  and  probably  for  that  reason  he  was  allowed  to  go 
into  retirement. 

The  Rubicon  having  been  crossed  by  sending  a  permanent 
mission  to  England,  missions  to  other  countries  were  appointed 
soon  after,  beginning  with  Chenlanpin  and  Yung  ^Ving  to  the 
United  States,  Hojuchang  and  Changluseng  to  Japan.  It 
has  been  the  custom  for  China  to  send  envoys  in  pairs  to  vas- 
sal states,  and  the  old  usage  was  adhered  to  in  the  three  mis- 
sions last  named.  In  every  case  an  intolerable  friction  soon 
declared  itself  between  the  parties  thus  uncquallv  voiced.  The 
vice-minister  was  generally,  to  his  own  disgust,  treated  bv  the 
foreign  court  merely  as  a  secretary,  and  tlie  Chinese  govern- 
ment has,  not  without  reluctance,  alvandoned  the  dual  system 
in  so  far  as  treatv  powers  are  concerned. 

Chenlanpin  and  Yung  '\^'ing  had  been  associated  in  an 
"  eilucational  inission  "  which  brought  one  hunchxnl  and  twenty 
youth  to  the  United  States,  ^'ung  "Wing,  himself  a  graduate 
of  ^'a]e,  had  concei\H'(l  tlie  idea  of  tlie  inission  and  induced 
the  Iu'l;)!  authorities  to  ado])t  it.  Chen,  an  academician  of 
conser\'ati\-e  pi'inciples,  as  tliev  all  are.  was  ])]aced  over  him 
and  his  students  a>  a  check  on  ])rogressive  tendencies.     When 


EARLY  DIPLOMATIC  MISSIONS  3S3 

both  were  promoted  to  diplomatic  honors  the  educational 
mission  was  left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  another  academician 
named  W'u.  Finding  that  the  young  men  were  becoming 
infected  with  republicanism  and  Christianity,  some  of  them 
gomg  the  length  of  marrying  American  wives,  Wu  advised  his 
government  to  recall  them  and  send  no  more.  The  fruits  of 
that  enlightened  enterprise  were  blighted  just  as  they  W'ere  be- 
ginning to  ripen.  If  its  originator,  in  every  way  a  remarkable 
man,  deserves  to  be  named  with  honor,  the  author  of  its  un- 
timely fate  ought  not  to  be  forgotten.  I  knew  him  well  as  an 
amateur  photographer,  a  dabbler  in  foreign  science,  and  super- 
intendent of  a  school  at  Canton.  He  studied  English  when 
over  fifty,  but  his  old  prejudices  were  too  deep  to  be  eradi- 
cated. 

To  revert  to  Chenlanpin  :  in  an  interval  prior  to  his  elevation 
he  had  conducted  a  mission  of  inquiry  into  the  condition  of 
Chinese  coolies  in  Cuba.  In  addition  to  a  detailed  report  he 
published  some  verses  depicting  the  life  of  a  coolie : 

"  His  miseries  are  not  ended  hy  death; 
His  charred  bones  are  ground  to  powder, 
To  whiten  the  sugar  '  of  Havana.'  " 

These  I  reprinted  in  a  Chinese  magazine  along  with  an 
article  in  which  I  referred  to  the  "blundering  philanthropy  of 
Las  Casas  in  substituting  black  slaves  for  red.  The  time  had 
now  come  for  yellow  to  take  the  place  of  black  at  the  behest 
of  antislavery  sentiment,  not  more  intelligent  than  that  of  a 
Chinese  prince,  who,  pitying  an  ox,  ordered  a  sheep  to  be 
sacrificed  in  its  stead."  My  paper  deepened  the  determination 
of  the  Chinese  authorities  not  to  permit  their  people  to  be 
made  the  "sheep"  of  the  fable.  Needless  to  say,  it  drew  on 
me  the  hostility  of  those  interested  in  the  coolie  traffic. 

Chen  was  recalled  to  Peking,  not  to  be  quietly  shelved,  like 
most  of  his  predecessors,  but  to  take  a  place  on  the  Board  of 


384  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Foreign  Affairs.  Bland,  affable,  and  venerable  in  aspect,  he 
possessed  no  ability  higher  than  that  of  making  mechanical 
verse  and  regulation  essays. 

In  conforming  to  new  usages  the  Chinese  always  preserve 
as  much  as  possible  of  their  old  traditions.  It  had  been  their 
custom  not  only  to  send  ministers  in  pairs,  but  to  choose  them 
from  the  ranks  of  the  Hanlin.  In  each  of  these  three  missions 
the  chief  was  a  Hanlin.  China  is  learning,  however,  that  for 
responsibilities  of  that  sort  solid  acquirements  are  better  than 
the  niceties  of  Chinese  scholarship  ;  but  when,  as  with  Mr. 
Wang,  a  recent  minister  to  Japan,  the  two  can  be  combined, 
the  conditions  for  selection  are  specially  favorable.  Mr. 
Wang,  as  already  mentioned,  to  the  honors  of  the  Hanhn 
Academy  adds  those  of  a  Tungwen  graduate. 

In  1878  Chunghau  was  sent  to  Russia  to  arrange  for  the 
restoration  of  Hi.  His  experience  in  France  recommended 
him,  and  his  official  dignities  as  member  of  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Affairs  and  military  governor  of  Shengking  gave  him 
weight.  To  give  him  a  further  increment  of  prestige  the  em- 
peror conferred  on  him  a  rank  equivalent  to  that  of  ambassa- 
dor. He  was  treated  accordingly,  loaded  with  attentions,  and 
admitted  to  negotiate  directly  with  the  czar.  Outwitted  in 
diplomacy,  he  committed  the  error  of  yielding  all  the  stra- 
tegic positions  in  the  disputed  territory,  and  the  greater  folly  of 
returning  home  when  he  thought  his  mission  completed  with- 
out waiting  ior  permissi(jn.  He  arrived  to  find  his  treaty  re- 
pudiated and  to  be  cast  into  prison  before  he  had  crossed  the 
threshold  of  his  own  home.  He  was  condemned  to  deatli, 
and  all  the  meml)ers  of  the  di|)l()matic  corps  interceded  for 
him  without  further  result  than  perhaj)s  to  obtain  an  unackiiow- 
k'dged  respite. 

Called  on  to  draw  up  for  the  eyes  of  the  government  a 
memorandum  of  the  usages  of  the  AVest  in  similar  cases,  I 
jKjinted  out  that  Christian  nations  visit  diplomatic  failures  with 


EARLY  DIPLOMATIC  MISSIONS 


385 


no  heavier  penalty  than  dismissal,  but  that  Turkish  envoys 
have  been  frequently  brought  to  the  bowstring — leaving  them 
in  no  doubt  as  to  the  company  in  which  they  would  place 
themselves.  Chunghau  was  eventually  released  in  response  to 
a  personal  appeal  made  by  the  Queen  of  England  to  the  Em- 
press Dowager,  but  the  captive  emerged  shorn  of  his  plumes, 
and  from  that  day  he  never  held  any  ofhce  of  emolument  or 
honor.  Even  his  ancestors  to  the  third  generation  had  been 
made  to  share  in  his  degradation.  Coming  to  see  me  some 
years  later,  he  told  me  with  evident  gratification  that  their 
honors  had  been  restored  to  the  deceased  worthies  at  the  re- 
quest of  his  nephew, 
whose  ancestors  they 
were  also,  the  nephew 
having  risen  to  the 
governorship  of  a 
province.  Shortly 
before  Chunghau's 
appointment  the 

Marquis  Tseng  in- 
formed me  that  he 
had  been  i)romised 
the  next  diplomatic 
mission.  Coming  to 
mv  house  a  fjw  days 
later,  he  learned  of 
the  nomination  of 
Chunghau.  He  felt 
mortified  and  com- 
plained of  bad  faith 
on  the  part  of  the 
ministry  ;  but  I  con- 
gratulated him  on  ha\ing  escaped  a  peril  and  consoled  him 
with  the  assurance  that  Russian  grapes  were  sour.     It  would, 


V  IM  EK    IjKEbS 


38b  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

I  said,  be  extremely  difficult  to  compel  the  Russian  bear  to 
disgorge,  and  I  ventured  to  predict  that  he  would  get  instead 
a  mission  to  England  or  to  the  United  States.  The  prediction 
was  fulfilled,  but  it  required  no  inspiration  to  make  it,  as  the 
marquis  spoke  English,  besides  having  a  family  connection 
with  Kuo  Sungtao,  the  first  minister  to  London.  He  was 
accredited  to  France  as  well  as  to  England,  and  after  the  fall 
of  Chunghau  he  was  sent  on  a  special  mission  to  Russia.  In 
England  he  succeeded  in  improving  relations  that  were  already 
excellent.  In  France  he  upheld  the  dignity  of  his  country  in 
trying  circumstances,  but  was  compelled  to  withdraw  by  the 
outbreak  of  war.  In  Russia,  profiting  by  the  mistakes  of  his 
predecessor,  he  came  off  with  flying  colors.  He  was  not 
pleased  to  be  reminded  how  narrowly  he  had  escaped  the 
fate  of  Chunghau.  After  an  absence  of  nine  years  he  re- 
turned to  Peking  to  l)e  loaded  with  honors  as  the  most  suc- 
cessful diplomatist  China  has  sent  abroad  in  modern  times 
It  was  a  good  sign  when  the  government  showed  a  disposition 
to  profit  by  his  experience,  appointing  him  to  a  seat  in  the 
Tsungli  Yamen ;  but  we  have  seen  how  abortive  were  his 
efforts  to  effect  reforms. 


CHAPTER   XI 


CHINA    AND    HER    NEIGHBORS 


Relations  with  Russia— With  Great  Britain— With  France— Aims  of 
Germany — The  four  powers 

IT  is  only  recently  that  China  has  come  to  know  what  it  is 
to  have  neighbors.  In  earlier  times  she  had  none.  Sep- 
arated from  India  and  Persia  by  mountains  and  deserts,  all 
states  that  held  communication  with  her  accepted  the  position 
of  vassals.  All  she  asked  of  them  was  homage,  and  they  sel- 
dom gave  her  trouble.  But  when  powers  strong  enough  to 
impose  conditions  presented  themselves,  demanding  to  treat 
on  a  footing  of  equality,  she  no  longer  stood  alone,  protected 
by  her  isolation.  This  change  in  her  situation  is  described  by 
a  Chinese  statesman  as  the  "  greatest  pohtical  revolution  that 
has  taken  place  since  the  abolition  of  the  feudal  system,  in  the 
days  of  the  builder  of  the  Great  Wall."  It  was  going  on  long 
before  she  became  aware  of  it.  From  the  day  when  Bartholo- 
mew Diaz  doubled  the  Cape,  and  from  that  other  day,  a  cen- 
tury later,  when  Yermak  crossed  the  Ural,  the  wakening  ambi- 
tion of  Europe  began  to  direct  itself  in  two  streams  toward 
the  shores  of  eastern  Asia.  Three  of  the  European  powers, 
conquering  all  that  lay  in  their  way,  gradually  pushed  their 
frontiers  up  to  those  of  China,  which  awoke — if  she  has 
awaked — to  find  herself  not  merely  one  of  many,  but  one  of  the 
weakest,  her  existence  imperiled  by  the  necessity  of  drifting 
down  the  stream  of  time  in  company  with  stronger  neighbors. 

387 


3S8  J    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

RelatiiVis  li'ith  Russia 

To  begin  with  the  Russians.  They  were  formerly  known  as 
Oroses,  a  tribe  of  Tartars,  conquered  by  a  son  of  Genghis 
Khan.  Their  feebleness,  no  less  than  their  distance,  freed 
China  from  any  solicitude  on  their  account.  When,  in  the 
reign  of  Kanghi,  they  imprudently  overstepped  'heir  limits, 
did  not  that  emperor  easily  reduce  their  fortress  of  Albazin 
and  carry  its  garrison  captive  to  Peking?  That  defeat  Russia 
never  resented  ;  but  she  profited  by  it  to  introduce  the  thin 
edge  of  her  matchless  diplomacy,  establishing  religious  and 
political  missions  in  Peking  more  than  a  century  in  advance 
of  other  pcnvers.  When  the  English  and  French  came  as  vic- 
torious enemies  they  found  the  Russians  installed  there  as 
friends  of  the  Chinese. 

As  the  price  of  neutrality — probably  of  indirect  assistance — 
they  obtained  the  cession  of  a  portion  of  Manchuria,  east  of  the 
Usuri,  giving  them  nearly  a  thousand  miles  of  sea-coast,  with 
complete  control  of  the  lower  Amoor.  The  opening  of  the 
Suez  Canal  brought  their  southern  ports  as  near  to  China  as 
those  of  France  or  England.  Cln'na  saw  with  dismay  that  the 
petty  state  she  once  chastised  had  grown  to  be  a  mighty  em- 
pire, and  was  building  a  naval  stronghold  within  a  few  days  of 
her  capital.  It  may  be  difficult  to  say  which  of  lier  neighbors 
she  loves  least,  but  it  is  easy  to  perceive  which  she  fears  most. 

In  i8<So  China  came  very  near  being  involved  in  war  with 
the  norlliern  colossus.  To  reco\-er  the  territorv  of  Hi.  occu- 
pied by  Russia  during  a  revolt  of  the  Mohammedan  popula- 
tion, she  despatched,  as  elsewhere  related,  to  the  court  of  the 
czar  an  ambassad(jr,  who  negotiated  for  its  restoration.  AMicn 
tlu-  treaty  was  submitti-d  for  ratification,  Cliang  Chitung,  a 
hold,  rleardicaded  member  (jf  the  Board  of  Censors,  deiiounced 
it  for  ka\ing  imjiortant  >trateg"i('  positions  in  tlie  hands  of  the 
Russians.     The  treaty  was  rejected,  and  j^reparations  for  war 


CIIIXA    AXD   IIEK   XEIGIIJWRS  389 

were  made  on  both  sides.  The  viceroy  Li  sent  for  his  old 
friend,  Gordon,  beheving  that  any  force  he  might  lead  would 
be  "  ever  victorious,"  as  that  had  been  with  which  he  crushed 
the  Taipings.  It  was  a  splendid  chance  to  gain  power  and 
renown,  but  the  unselfish  hero  came  to  counsel  peace.  He 
warned  the  Chinese  government  not  to  provoke  a  conflict,  "  or 
the  Russians  would  be  in  Peking  in  sixty  days." 

Without  receding  an  inch  from  her  resolve  to  regain  the  dis- 
puted territory,  China  made  up  her  mind  to  try  diplomacy  once 
more  ;  and  Russia,  exhausted  by  lier  war  with  Turkey,  thought 
best  to  yield  the  point.  This  result  had  the  effect  of  inspiring 
the  Chinese  with  confidence  in  their  ability  to  resist  aggression 
(as  the  French  found  to  their  cost),  and  the  event  was  signal- 
ized by  the  elevation  of  the  bellicose  censor  to  the  offices  of 
governor  and  viceroy.  Their  new-found  confidence  was  rudely 
shaken  by  the  announcement  of  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway 
scheme.  "When  they  saw  the  vigor  with  which  that  enterprise 
was  being  pushed  forward,  their  answer  to  it  was  the  cancel- 
ing or  postponement  of  a  line  through  central  China,  and  the 
buiUling  of  one  to  meet  the  Russian  road  at  its  eastern  ex- 
tremity. They  at  the  same  time  directed  a  current  of  emigra- 
tion toward  the  thinly  peopled  provinces  of  Manchuria.  Says 
Mr.  Paul  Popoff,  a  Russian,  writing  in  1887:  "The  rush  of 
emigrants  has  been  great  during  the  last  six  or  seven  years, 
when  the  Chinese  government,  on  account  of  a  possible  con- 
flict with  us,  turned  its  special  attention  to  Manchuria,  and  in- 
troduced administrative  reforms  intended  to  transfer  to  it  all 
the  rules  of  China  proper.  It  applies  its  efforts  to  turn  to  ac- 
count the  natural  riches  of  the  country,  and  to  secure  protec- 
tion of  person  and  property.  But  the  principal  thing  is  that 
the  government,  by  means  of  different  exemptions,  endeavors 
to  attract  population  from  other  provinces."  Not  only  will 
China  thus  have  a  body  of  settlers  to  defend  their  homesteads  ; 
she  will  be  able  to  transport  troops  by  her  new  railway,  sutff- 


390  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

cient  at  least  to  meet  any  land  force  that  Russia  can  assemble 
at  that  distant  point.  In  estimating  the  strategic  value  of  the 
Siberian  road,  vulnerability  is  to  be  taken  into  account.  Too 
long  to  be  effectively  protected,  it  runs  for  three  thousand 
miles  so  near  the  common  frontier  that  Tartar  cavalry,  mak- 
ing a  sudden  raid,  might  cut  the  line  at  any  one  of  a  hundred 
places.  Its  danger  to  China  consists  not  so  much  in  serving 
for  purposes  of  attack  in  the  near  future,  as  in  peopling  the 
country  through  which  it  passes. 

Whatever  the  design  of  that  road,  the  Russians  are  as  con- 
fident of  one  day  possessing  Peking  as  they  are  of  getting  Con- 
stantinople. "  I  expect  to  live  to  be  governor  of  Pechili "  (the 
metropolitan  province),  said  a  young  Russian  in  my  hearing,  at 
a  legation  dinner,  or  rather  after  dinner — /;/  vino  Veritas.  Rus- 
sia has  no  need  to  be  in  a  hurry.  Whoever  shakes  the  tree, 
she  stands  ready  to  pick  up  the  fruit.  Much  as  she  profited 
by  England's  wars  to  rectify  her  frontier,  she  has  gained  more 
by  Japan's  recent  victory.  It  has  enabled  her  to  pose  as  the 
defender  of  Manchuria,  and  to  take  the  lead  in  delivering  China 
from  her  financial  straits.  She  is  not  likely  to  suffer  the  latter 
to  forget  that  "  the  borrower  is  servant  to  the  lender." 

Relations  with  Great  Britain 

Great  Britain's  relations  with  China  fill  so  large  a  space  in 
the  preceding  chapters  that  a  brief  outline  will  here  sufifice. 
P^ngland  first  became  known  to  China  as  possessing  a  fraction 
of  the  decaying  empire  of  the  Great  Mogul.  The  colony  at 
r>ombay,  as  harmless  apparently  as  the  Portuguese  colony  at 
Macao,  she  had  seen  expanded  until  it  covered  the  whole  pen- 
insula and  became  her  neighbor  on  the  southwest.  The  feel- 
ing awakened  by  this  spectacle  is  expressed  by  a  popular  writer 
of  the  last  century,  in  the  apologue  of  the  "  Magic  Carpet," 
cited  in  the  opening  chapter. 

Of  England's  military  f<jrce  she  has  twice  made  trial,  being 


CinXA    AKD  IIER   NEIGHBORS  391 

badly  beaten  each  time.  Yet  on  two  occasions  have  the  Chi- 
nese risked  a  fresh  coUision  rather  than  submit  to  humihating 
conditions.  Their  determined  attitude  in  the  afifair  of  the 
Lay-Osborne  flotilla,  and  in  the  Margary  affair,  their  positive 
refusal  to  place  a  viceroy  under  arrest,  prove  that  there  are 
limits  to  the  concessions  the  Chinese  may  be  expected  to  make, 
even  when  they  know  that  they  are  unable  to  oppose  force  to 
force.  To  overthrow  the  government  would  be  easy ;  to  com- 
pel it  to  trample  on  old  traditions,  next  to  impossible. 

So  persistently  have  British  ministers  striven  to  convince  the 
Chinese  that  they  desire  nothing  but  trade,  that  a  few  of  the 
mandarins  have  come  to  believe  the  assertion,  and  have  re- 
peated it  in  memorials  to  the  throne  as  a  reason  for  dismiss- 
ing all  apprehension  of  attempts  at  conquest  from  the  side  of 
Great  Britain.  Her  moderation  in  the  first  war,  in  taking  a 
rock  when  she  might  have  taken  a  province,  and  in  the  second, 
in  taking  nothing  when  she  might  have  taken  all,  proves  the 
sincerity  of  her  desire  to  see  the  Chinese  empire  independent 
and  prosperous.  But  to  the  mass  of  the  Chinese  and  to  the 
most  of  their  rulers  it  proves  nothing  but  weakness  or  stupid- 
ity ;  for,  in  their  reading  of  history,  no  man  refrains  from  seiz- 
ing a  province  or  an  empire  who  feels  himself  able  to  keep  it. 
If  England  withdrew  from  Peking  after  taking  it  in  i860,  did 
not  the  rebel,  Li  Tzecheng,  do  the  same  in  1644?  On  them  the 
lesson  is  lost ;  they  believe  the  English  to  be  "  uncontrollably 
fierce  and  violent,"  as  their  emperors  have  described  them  ; 
that  their  attitude  has  always  been  one  of  aggression,  and 
always  will  be,  no  matter  under  what  specious  forms  their  de- 
signs may  be  veiled.  Suspicion  and  hostility  are  the  legacy  of 
two  wars.  That  those  wars  were  not  unprovoked  7ir  can  see, 
but  the  Chinese  cannot.  Is  it  surprising  that  their  thirst  for 
revenge  should  smoulder  in  the  ashes  of  Yuen  Ming  Yuen  ? 

For  some  years  England  has  been  counting  on  China  as  an 
ally  in  the  coming  struggle  with  Russia.     Hence  the  pains 


392  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

taken  to  conciliate  her  good-will:  deference  to  her  wishes  in 
the  matter  of  Sikkim  and  Tibet ;  affronts  borne  with  patience  ; 
claims  held  in  abeyance.  But,  so  far  as  feelings  are  concerned, 
it  might  be  easier  to  incite  the  Chinese  to  aid  in  driving  the 
British  out  of  India  than  to  induce  them  to  defend  what  they 
consider  usurpation. 

The  government  is  not  much  influenced  by  feelings,  but  it 
is  too  timid  to  risk  anything  for  either  party,  though  the  peo- 
ple, smothering  their  antipathies,  would  fight  impartiaUy  for 
both— if  paid  for  it.  •  The  alliance  is  at  a  discount  since  China 
has  shown  herself  so  shiftless  in  her  contest  with  Japan.  It  is 
not  likely  that  anything  more  will  be  heard  of  it,  nor  are  signs 
wanting  of  a  change  in  British  policy.  A  law  of  normal  expan- 
sion and  the  greed  of  her  rivals  compel  England  to  swallow 
kingdoms,  though  she  has  no  special  appetite  for  them.  Did 
she  not  take  Burmah  as  an  offset  to  Tonquin,  without  saying 
to  China  "  by  your  leave  "  ?  She  did  indeed  ask  an  ex  post 
facto  consent,  in  the  shape  of  a  confirmatory  treaty,  which  Sir 
N.  O' Conor  cleverly  obtained  by  engaging  that  tribute  mis- 
sions should  continue  quand  ineiiic.  To  check  an  advance  of 
Russia,  did  she  not  occupy  Port  Hamilton  with  quite  as  little 
ceremony?  And  did  she  not  afterward  relinquish  it,  with  quite 
as  much  ceremony  as  she  had  employed  in  confirming  her  title 
to  Burmah  ;  by  treaty,  binding  a  drowsy-headed  dragon  to  keep 
watch  instead  of  herself  ?  In  tlie  recent  crisis,  when  three 
other  powers  intervened  on  behalf  of  Clu'na,  how  much  con- 
cern (lid  (ireat  Britain  show  for  the  integrity  of  Chinese  terri- 
tory? So  little  does  she  care  for  that,  that  she  is  already  pick- 
ing out  tlie  slices  she  intends  to  have  —  always  the  lion's  share 
—  though  on  the  surface  she  hates  to  take  an  v.  It  is  a  law  of 
history,  frequently  quoted  by  Clu'nese  writers,  that  "the  em- 
pire, after  being  long  divided,  will  be  reunited,  and  after  long 
union  it  will  be  ilivided."  "Wlicn  the  time  for  disruption  comes, 
happy  will  it  be  for  China  if  the  bulk  of  her  people  pass  under 


CniXA    AND  IIKR  NEIGHBORS  393 

the  sway  of  Great  Britain.  Of  the  three  nearest  neighl)or.s, 
Britain  is  the  only  one  from  whom  they  could  learn  self-gov- 
ernment. England's  altered  sentiment  is  voiced  by  such  writ- 
ers as  Norman  and  Curzon.     The  latter  opens  with  the  motto : 

"  Th  rcgerc populos,''''  etc., 

and  closes  with  the  significant  words  :  "  Great  as  is  the  present 
position  of  Great  Britain,  I  believe  it  will  be  greater  still. 

'  Pray  God  our  greatness  may  not  fail 
Through  craven  fear  of  being  great,'  " 

Relations  with  France 

France  is  regarded  by  China  with  even  more  suspicion  than 
England.  Through  her  prominent  part  in  the  crusades,  she 
made  such  an  impression  on  the  whole  of  Asia  that  Frank  be- 
came synonymous  with  European.  Through  her  missionaries, 
the  earliest  in  the  field,  if  we  except  two  or  three  Italians,  the 
Chinese  were  led  to  take  her  for  what  she  really  was,  the  lead- 
ing power  of  Christendom.  She  sank  in  their  estimation  when 
they  saw  her  despoiled  of  her  Indian  possessions  by  the  hand 
of  England.  During  the  half-century  since  the  gates  of  the  far 
East  began  to  open  her  part  has  been  conspicuously  secondary. 

It  was  in  the  wake  of  England  that  France  came  to  make 
her  first  treaty,  and  it  was  as  the  ally  of  England  that  she  made 
her  second.  When,  ten  years  ago,  she  made  an  attack  on 
China,  and  gained  nothing,  the  Chinese  ascribed  her  failure  to 
their  own  prowess,  and  to  the  fact  that  she  was  not  supported 
by  England.  The  true  explanation,  viz.,  that  she  was  unsup- 
ported by  France,  and  that,  as  Schiller  has  it, 

"  Nii7'  Frankrcich  konnfe  Frankrcich  iilh-nL'indcn"  * 

lay  too  deep  for  their  apprehension.  They  acquired,  never- 
theless, a  wholesome  dread  of  French  valor,  and  abandoned 

*  "  Only  France  could  overcome  the  Frencli." 

Maid  of  Orleans. 


394  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

all  idea  of  expelling  France  from  her  new  dominions.  They 
live,  indeed,  in  perpetual  dread  of  a  renewal  of  the  conflict  on 
the  part  of  France.  Her  position  as  eldest  daughter  of  the 
church,  and  protectress  of  Catholic  missions,  may  at  any 
moment  supply  her  with  a  pretext,  while  the  Chinese  brigand- 
age on  the  Tonquin  frontier — amounting  to  guerilla  warfare- 
may  yield  a  more  solid  ground  whenever  such  a  war  may  serve 
her  ends.  In  both  characters,  as  champion  of  the  church  and 
touchy  neighbor,  her  attitude  is  one  of  perpetual  menace. 

The  "wounded  tiger,"  as  Chunghau  called  her,  has,  they 
are  well  aware,  long  since  recovered  sufficiently  to  compel  the 
three  powers  of  central  Europe  to  increase  their  land  armies, 
and  cause  England  to  augment  her  enormous  navy.  "  Flow 
can  we  sleep  with  ease,"  they  are  wont  to  say,  "when  nothing 
but  a  paper  screen  parts  us  from  such  a  neighbor?  "  The  his- 
tory of  that  paper  screen,  not  to  go  further  back,  dates  from 
1858. 

Having  a\-enged  their  missionaries  in  China,  the  French  pro- 
ceeded, in  conjunction  with  the  Spaniards,  to  make  a  descent 
on  Annam  for  the  purpose  of  avenging  their  martvrs  in  that 
kingdom.  Humbling  the  pride  of  Gialung,  they  forced  him 
to  give  up  one  of  his  richest  provinces  to  pay  for  a  thrashing. 
That  province,  with  Saigon  for  its  capital,  was  the  gate  to 
Cambodia,  of  which  they  were  soon  masters.  Their  ambition 
to  possess  an  Eastern  empire  was  now  in  full  blaze.  They 
started  a  line  of  splendid  steamers,  which  had  to  be  heavilv 
subsidized.  Two  things  were  noticeable,  viz.,  that  they  were 
war-shij)s  in  disguise,  and  that  they  bore  such  names  as 
"  Dupleix"  and  "  Labourdonnais,"  leaders  in  the  struggle  for 
India. 

The  discovery  by  Dupuis  that  the  Sonkoi.  the  Red  River  of 
the  East,  offers  a  practicable  route  to  southwestern  Cliina,  led 
naturally  to  the  conrjuest  of  Tonquin.  Tin's  was  not  efTect(.'d 
without  another  war  with  Annam.      In  vain  did  the  king,  who 


CniXA    AXD  IIEK  KElGIIBOkS  395 

had  styled  himself  emperor  as  a  sort  of  declaration  of  indepen- 
dence, pocket  his  pride,  and  implore  aid  of  his  insulted  suze- 
rain. He  was  forced  to  cede  the  richest  i)ortion  of  his  terri- 
tories, and  accept  France  as  overlord  in  lieu  of  China.  China 
ratified  the  French  conquests  rather  than  risk  the  issue  of  a  war, 
sacrificing  her  vassal  and  agreeing  to  withdraw  her  troops. 
All  she  had  ever  done  in  the  w^ay  of  succor  was  to  garrison 
one  or  two  strategic  points  near  her  own  frontier.  The  com- 
manders of  these  fortresses  being  in  no  hurry  to  effect  the 
evacuation,  more  than  one  bloody  collision  took  place  in 
the  attempt  of  the  French  to  eject  them.  The  French  taxed 
China  with  breach  of  faith,  and  demanded  an  indemnity  of 
sixteen  million  dollars.  Too  much  this  was  for  even  Chinese 
patience.  The  demand  was  rejected,  and  the  French  began 
hostilities  by  destroying  a  Chinese  squadron,  togedier  with  the 
navy-yard  at  Fuchau  (August,  1885).  The  empress  regent 
boldly  declared  war.  "  Rather  than  go  to  war  with  a  friendly 
power,"  she  said,  "we  chose  to  abandon  one  of  our  vassals; 
but  the  French  came  upon  us  with  outrageous  demands,  and, 
now  that  they  have  destroyed  our  ships,  a  state  of  war  exists 
by  their  act.  Confident  in  the  righteousness  of  our  cause,  we 
accept  the  issue."  She  wept  when  signing  this  decree,  but  her 
tears  were  not  those  of  weakness. 

Few  pages  of  history  are  more  honorable  for  China  than 
that  which  records  this  second  war  with  France.  I  was  at  the 
Hills  when  the  rupture  occurred.  I  had  seen  it  coming,  and 
been  appealed  to  by  the  French  charge  to  avert  it  by  inducing 
the  Chinese  to  accept  his  ultimatum.  On  the  i8th  of  August, 
a  letter  from  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  sent  by  special  messenger, 
requested  me  to  return  without  delay  on  business  of  great 
urgency.  At  the  Yamen  I  was  told  that  the  French  had  sunk 
the  Fuchau  fleet,  and  that,  war  having  begun,  the  govern- 
ment desired  to  know  the  rules  of  international  law  as  to  the 
treatment  of  non-combatants  belonging  to  the  enemy. 


396  A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 

I  was  preparing  an  answer  when  an  officer  came  to  receive 
the  paper,  and  pressed  me  to  bring  it  to  a  close,  as  the  coun- 
cil of  state  were  waiting  to  draw  up  an  imperial  decree  on  the 
subject.  The  decree,  which  came  out  the  next  day,  assured 
protection  and  immunity  to  all  Frenchmen  residing  in  China, 
on  condition  of  remaining  quietly  in  their  places  in  pursuit  of 
their  peaceful  avocations,  and  not  in  any  way  taking  part  in 
the  conflict.  Xoblv  did  the  Chinese  government  redeem  its 
pledge.  Not  one  of  the  hundreds  of  French  missionaries  scat- 
tered throughout  the  interior  was  killed,  and  none  was  molested, 
with  tlie  e.\ce})tion  of  a  few  in  turbulent  portions  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Cantfjn,  who  removed  for  safety  to  the  provincial 
capital.  Frencli  merchants  kept  their  shops  open,  and  French 
professors  continued  to  lecture  in  the  Imperial  College. 

I  was  retiutsted  to  ask  our  professors  to  stay  at  home  until 
the  special  (juestion  relating  to  them  as  employees  of  the  gov- 
ernment should  be  decidetl  by  the  council.  Three  days  later 
one  of  tlie  ministers  mformed  me  that  they  might  resume  their 
lectures,  as  the  government  knew  tliem  to  be  honoral)le  men. 
Me  imposed  no  restriction  on  their  movements  bevond  advis- 
ing that,  for  tlieir  own  safetv,  tliey  should  not  go  far  from  the 
citv.  Is  tliere  a  Ix'lligerent  anvwhere  whose  conduct  surpasses 
this?  \\'ould  not  a  l-'renchman  have  reason  to  blush  in  com- 
paring it  witli  tlie  treatment  meted  out  to  Germans  in  the  war 
of  1870? 

The  l-'rench  forces  attempted  to  take  l-'ormosa.  but  failed. 
Tliev  also  made  an  incursion  from 'i"oii«iuiii,  but  were  repulsed 
witli  hea\'v  loss.  The  war  from  tlie  th"st  was  un])opular  in 
I-'rance,  and  purelv  defensi\-e  on  tlie  j)art  of  Cliina.  Uoth 
parties  were  acconlinglv  brouglit  bv  Sir  RoI)ert  Hart,  as  else- 
■\shrre  related,  to  m:ike  ]»en('e  on  xhc^fitfiis  (juo  iiiifi'  bi-l!uiii,\\\Q 
l-"rcnrli  not  gaining  a  s'-n  of  indemiiitv,  and  the  Chinese  not 
losing  an  iucli  of  ici'rit' m'v. 

To  China  this  negative  result  was  e(|uivalent  to  a  victory. 


CIIJXA    AXD   HER   XEICIHWRS  397 

She  was  the  stronger  for  it,  and  less  disposed  than  ever  to 
allow  herself  to  be  bullied  by  threats  of  war. 

Attitude  of  t/ie  European  Powers 

Very  significant  is  the  action  of  France  in  backing  up  Rus- 
sia's demand  for  the  evacuation  of  Liaotong  by  Japan.  For 
that  service  she  may  get  her  pay  in  Europe  or  in  Africa,  but 
more  likely  in  China,  when  it  may  suit  her  to  ask  for  a  slice 
of  the  southern  provinces.  Already,  indeed,  she  has  obtained 
important  advantages  in  the  expansion  of  Tonquin,  and  in  con- 
cessions for  railway  communication. 

Before  the  close  of  the  war  it  was  supposed  that  England 
would  be  the  first  to  object  to  Japan's  getting  a  foothold  on 
the  mainland,  and  that  in  this  she  would  have  Russia  for  an 
ally.  If  in  that  matter  she  has  yielded  the  principal  part  to 
others,  not  tlie  less  does  she  view  their  proceeding  with  secret 
satisfaction.  To  have  Japan  in  a  position  to  overawe  the  Chi- 
nese court  would  undermine  her  present  influence,  as  well  as 
mar  her  future  prospects.  That  she  has  not  translated  her 
feeling  into  action,  and  that  she  has  made  no  objection  to  the 
Japanese  taking  Formosa — though  in  the  peace  negotiations 
Viceroy  Li  declared  she  would  —  was  obviously  from  fear  of 
offending  a  future  ally, 

Japan,  and  not  China,  is  the  natural  ally  of  Great  Britain. 
As  neither  is  tempted  to  encroach  on  the  other,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  hinder  mutual  confidence.  Japan  has  not,  as  China  has, 
suffered  in-eparable  injuries  at  the  hands  of  England  ;  and  her 
formidable  navy,  joined  to  that  of  Great  Britain,  would  make 
a  force  which  Russia  and  France  combined  would  l)e  power- 
less to  oppose.  Bv  Japan  tlie  alliance  is  ardently  desired. 
For  England  to  reject  the  outstretched  hand  would  be  worse 
than  folly. 

In  supporting  Russia's  demands,  Germany,  to  the  surprise 
of  many  (though  no  surprise  to   me),  appears  alongside  of 


398  A    CYCLE   OF   CATHAY 

France,  She  wishes  to  establish  a  claim  to  a  share  in  the  final 
partition.  She  laments  her  want  of  colonies,  and  makes  fran- 
tic efforts  to  obtain  them.  Her  acquisitions  in  Africa  and 
Papua  are,  as  yet,  worth  nothing.  For  her  Formosa  would 
have  been  priceless.  She  had  a  chance  to  take  it  before  her 
war  with  France,  the  case  of  the  "  Soberana,"  plundered  by 
Formosans,  affording  a  good  pretext ;  but  she  was  busy  with 
reconstruction,  and  it  is  now  too  late.  One  of  these  days  may 
she  not  indemnify  herself  by  taking  Clmsan?— a  measure  to 
which,  in  the  altered  state  of  the  China  seas,  England  would 
have  no  good  reason  to  object. 

The  first  instalment  of  her  pay  she  has  already  received,  in 
China's  consent  to  her  demand  for  territorial  concessions  like 
those  of  England  and  France  at  the  open  ports.  Those  con- 
cessions, though  not  ceasing  to  be  Chinese  territory,  are  prac- 
tically under  a  foreign  flag.  To  Germany  this  little  advantage 
is  the  nose  of  the  camel.  It  is  not  for  nothing  that  she  has 
lent  a  hundred  officers  to  reorganize  the  Chinese  army. 

The  cordon  of  great  powers  drawn  round  the  Celestial  Em- 
pire looks  ominous,  but  may  it  not  prove  to  be  a  protection? 
The  jealousy  of  the  powers  has  kept  the  Ottoman  in  Europe ; 
may  it  not  keep  the  Tartar  in  China?  There  is,  however,  one 
ground  on  which  they  may  unite,  viz.,  as  Christians,  for  the 
protection  of  Christians.  On  that  ground  they  joined  their 
forces  to  destroy  the  Ottoman  fleet  at  Navarino  in  1827,  and 
Greece  was  freed  from  oppression.  On  that  ground  Russia 
made  war  in  1878,  and  the  Berlin  Conference  created  a  free 
Bulgaria.  In  China  that  ground  for  interference  is  always 
present.  As  I  write,  fresh  atrocities  are  re])orted,  sufficient  to 
provoke  the  vengeance  of  united  Christendom. 

Money  indemnities  for  outrages  seem  to  aggravate  the  evil, 
and  official  promises  are  not  to  l)e  trusted  ;  the  government 
will  not  punish  its  own  mandarins.  One  expedient  remains  to 
be  tried,  viz.,  for  each  of  the  powers  to  take  a  small  strip  of 


CHINA   AND  HER  NEIGHBORS 


399 


territory.  Russia  might  take  her  strip  in  Manchuria,  where  it 
would  serve  for  a  roadway  to  an  unfrozen  sea ;  England  hers 
between  Kowloon  (Hong  Kong)  and  the  Pearl  River,  enabling 
her  to  reach  Canton  by  a  railway  of  her  own.  The  island  of 
Hainan  would  fall  naturally  to  France,  Chusan  to  Germany. 
Stung  to  the  quick  by  the  loss  of  these  first  slices,  China  would 
be  careful  not  to  incur  a  repetition  of  the  process,  in  the  form 
of  lingc/ii  ["  slicing  to  death  by  slow  degrees  ").  Might  not  this 
prove  to  be  the  best  guaranty  for  stability  and  renovation- 
adjourning  indefinitely  a  crisis,  in  which  provinces  instead  of 
districts  would  have  to  pay  the  forfeit?  * 

*  The  final  partition,  if  it  must  come,  presents  no  such  complicated 
problem  as  that  of  the  Ottoman  Empire.  The  northern  belt  of  provinces 
would  fall  naturally  to  Russia;  the  southern  belt,  excepting  portions  of 
Yunnan  and  Kwang-tung,  as  naturally  to  France.  England  would  claim 
the  valley  of  the  Yang-tse ;  and  there  would  still  be  left  the  provinces  of 
Chekiang  and  Fu-kien  for  Germany.  The  N'igor  with  which  China  ap- 
pears to  be  entering  on  schemes  of  reform  may,  let  us  hope,  lead  to  the 
indefinite  postponement  of  any  plan  of  partition. 


liLUND    .MUSICIAN,    BY    I'KuKliSiluN    A    1- 1  )K  1  UNli-TliLLKK. 


CHAPTER  XII 

CHINA  AND   HER  NEIGHBORS   {CoJltillUed) 

Relations  with  Japan — Ancient  hostility — Recent  war — Japan's  renova- 
tion—  Her  field  for  expansion — China's  relations  with  the  United 
States — American  influence — American  Trade 

Relations  with  Japan 

IN  a  sense  difTerent  from  any  of  the  foregoing  is  Japan  a 
neighbor  to  China.  Their  neighborhood  came  by  con- 
quest, hers  by  birthright.  Their  seat  of  power  is  remote  ;  hers 
so  near  that  each  lias  been  jealous  of  the  other  almost  from  the 
dawn  of  history.  Situated  relatively  like  England  and  France,, 
their  collisions  have  been  pretty  nearly  as  frequent  as  those  of 
their  European  analogues.  As  early  as  the  third  century  B.C., 
the  builder  of  the  Great  Wall,  the  Alexander  of  the  East,  after 
conquering  the  last  of  the  continental  states  within  his  reach, 
meditated  the  conquest  of  the  Island  Empire.  "'Jlie  colonists 
whom  lie  despatched,  if  they  effected  nothing  more,  certainly 
helped  to  bring  llie  Tao-i  ("insular  barbarians")  under  the 
intellectual  sway  of  China. 

Not  to  s[)eak  of  other  expeditions  from  the  mainland,  the 
Mongol,  Kublai  Khan,  after  conquering  China,  attempted,  like 
Clienshi,  the  subjugation  of  Japan.  As  in  the  former  case, 
none  returned  to  tell  the  tale,  though  his  armada  is  said  to 
have  carried  a  hundred  thousand  men.  Japan  retaliated  by 
raw'igiiig  the  seaboard.  Protected  by  her  briny  belt,  she  sent 
out  her  scjuadrons,  to  drop  on  the  coast  of  Cliina,  now  here, 

400 


CIIIXA    AXD  HER  NEIGHBORS  401 

now  there,  as  unexpected  as  an  army  of  aeronauts  descending 
from  the  clouds.  She  overran  Corea ;  but  then,  as  now,  China 
claimed  the  peninsula,  and  Japan  was  forced  to  retire  after  a 
sanguinary  contest.  Her  corsairs  continued  to  be  a  terror  to 
the  Chinese  of  the  maritime  provinces,  until,  oyster-like,  she 
closed  her  shell  and  kept  them  at  home. 

The  oyster  policy  was  adopted,  not  against  China,  but  as  a 
protection  against  the  encroachments  of  European  nations. 
The  wisdom  of  the  expedient  was  cjuestioned  by  some  who, 
under  a  despotic  government,  did  not  dare  to  ijtter  an  open  pro- 
test, but  contrived  to  suggest  their  doubts  in  the  form  of  fable. 

"Once  upon  a  time,"  says  a  Japanese  ^-^^^sop,  "the  fish  of 
the  sea  were  thrown  into  consternation  by  the  appearance  of 
a  new  enemy  —  a  man  with  net  and  drag.  Calling  a  council 
to  provide  for  their  safety,  one  proposed  this,  another  that. 
The  clam  said  that  for  himself  he  had  no  fear ;  he  had  only 
to  close  his  shell  to  keep  out  all  enemies.  Sjjlash !  came  the 
drag;  the  fish  scattered,  and  he  lay  snug  until  all  was  quiet. 
Then,  cautiously  peeping  out,  he  saw  scrawled  on  an  opposite 
wall :  '  This  clam,  two  cents  '  and  he  knew  that  he  was  sohiy 

At  the  epoch  of  the  opium  war,  the  attitude  of  the  two 
empires  toward  the  outside  world  was  identical  From  that 
point,  or,  to  be  exact,  from  1854,  the  date  of  our  first  treaty 
with  Japan,  their  policies  diverge.  Compelled  to  abandon 
her  old  exclusiveness,  China  has  yielded  as  little  as  possible. 
Japan  renounced  hers  without  waiting  for  the  a])plication  of 
force.  China  drags  her  anchors,  and  vainly  endeavors  to 
cling  to  her  old  ground,  even  at  the  risk  of  being  dashed  to 
pieces  on  a  lee  shore.  Japan  weighs  anchor,  and  stands  boldly 
out  to  sea.  The  immense  atlvantage  which  an  active  striving 
for  the  better  possesses  over  an  inert  adherence  to  tradition 
has  never  been  made  so  conspicuous  as  in  the  issue  of  the  late 
war — a  war  which  has  placed  the  victor  among  the  great 
powers,  and  commenced  the  disintegration  of  the  vanquished. 


402  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Every  step  in  Japan's  progress  has  intensified  the  old  ani- 
mosity. China  hates  her  as  a  traitor  to  Asiatic  traditions, 
and  she  despises  China  as  a  laggard  in  the  race.  The  first 
aggressions  came  from  the  side  of  Japan,  as  might  have  been 
expected  from  her  awakened  energies. 

She  began  with  the  absorption  of  Liuchiu,  which  China 
regarded  as  her  vassal,  though  the  little  kingdom,  for  its  own 
purposes,  had  maintained  a  divided  allegiance.  Her  next 
move  was  a  descent  on  Formosa,  ostensibly  to  punish  the 
savages  of  the  eastern  coast  for  murdering  the  crew  of  a 
Liuchiuan  junk ;  in  reality  with  the  intention  of  occupying 
a  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  that  island.  Their  right  to  do  so 
the  Japanese  defended  by  specious  arguments  drawn  from 
text- writers  on  international  law.  These  batteries  the  Chinese 
easily  silenced,  as  I  can  testify,  having  had  something  to  do 
with  the  loading  of  their  guns.  The  contest  would  not  have 
ended  without  drawing  blood  if  the  British  minister,  Sir  Thomas 
Wade,  had  not  come  forward  as  peacemaker,  and  persuaded 
the  invaders  to  withdraw  on  the  payment  of  a  small  indemnity^ 
which,  to  save  the  "  face  "  of  China,  was  considered  as  com- 
pensation for  war  material  left  on  the  island. 

A  third  storm  center  was  Corea.  Confessedly  a  vassal  of 
China,  the  Hermit  Kingdom  had  been  imwisely  permitted  to 
send  embassies  and  enter  into  direct  treaty  relations  with  for- 
eign courts,  making  the  Corean  capital  a  nest  of  intrigue. 

In  1878  the  destruction  of  the  Japanese  consulate  at  Seoul 
came  very  near  embroiling  the  two  empires.  In  the  dispute 
whicli  followed,  the  Japanese  won  a  diplomatic  victory  ;  China 
weakly  consented  to  something  like  a  dual  control,  which 
naturally  had  tlie  effect  of  making  the  peninsula  more  than 
ever  a  bone  of  contention.  For  these  two  blunders,  the  seeds 
of  the  recent  war,  Li  Hung  Chang  is  directly  resj)onsible,  the 
affairs  of  Corea  being  his  special  charge. 

A  petty  rebellion  breaking  out  early  in  1894,  the  king  ap- 


CHINA   AND  HER  NEIGHBORS  403 

pealed  to  China,  not  to  Japan,  for  succor.  The  iixsurgents, 
who  called  themselves  Tuiig/iak  ("  champions  of  Eastern 
learning  "),  in  opposition  to  Western  innovations,  dispersed  on 
the  appearance  of  Chinese  troops,  and  the  troops  intrenched 
themselves  on  the  sea-coast.  The  Japanese  were  notified,  and 
exercised  their  right  of  sending  a  force ;  but  instead  of  camp- 
ing on  the  coast,  they  pushed  on  to  the  capital  for  the  better 
protection  of  king  and  court.  It  was  the  story  of  Tunis  over 
again,  where  a  French  general,  failing  to  find  the  Kroui/iirs, 
whom  he  had  come  to  fight,  suddenly  appeared  at  the  Bardo, 
and  forced  the  Bey  to  sign  a  treaty  which  made  him  inde- 
pendent of  Turkey.  China  was  not  as  apathetic  as  the  Otto- 
man, and  both  parties,  perceiving  the  real  issue,  pushed 
forward  their  troops  as  fast  as  their  ships  could  carry  them. 
Their  ostensible  object  was  to  annihilate  the  Tunghaks,  their 
real  aim  to  settle  at  once  and  forever  the  question  of  Chinese 
supremacy.  They  kept  up  the  forms  of  friendship  until  the 
25th  of  July,  when  two  collisions  in  one  day  compelled  them 
to  throw  off  the  mask.  Then  came  the  shock  of  war,  as  im- 
foreseen  as  an  earthquake,  and  infinitely  more  destructive.* 

In  the  earlier  battles  the  Chinese  fought  well,  but  they  soon 
came  to  expect  defeat  as  a  matter  of  course,  a  constant  suc- 

*  I  was  then  in  Japan  in  quest  of  health.  Being  asked  by  an  English 
missionary  wiiat  I  thought  would  be  the  issue  of  the  war,  I  said  I  thought 
it  would  end  in  a  drawn  battle,  or  be  stopped  by  the  intervention  of  the 
Powers  ;  "  but,"  I  added,  "  if  pushed  to  an  extreme  the  swordfish  can  kill 
the  whale."  "  You  had  better  not  say  that  too  loud,"  he  remarked,  "unless 
you  wish  to  have  it  published  in  all  the  newspapers  in  Japan."  Many 
times  I  have  visited  the  Island  Empire.  I  first  saw  it  under  the  Tycoons 
in  1S59,  when  the  Mikado  was  as  powerless  as  the  "  prisoner  of  the  Vati- 
can "  ;  I  saw  it  again  on  the  eve  of  the  restoration;  and  T  have  seen  it 
since  often  enough  to  become  well  acquainted  \\-ith  its  people  and  some 
of  its  leading  statesmen.  My  observations  on  the  course  of  a  revolution 
the  most  remarkable  that  any  people  has  undergone  in  modern  times,  I 
am  compelled  to  withhold  for  want  of  space. 


404  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

cession  of  victories  telling  as  much  for  the  organizing  talent 
of  Japan  at  headquarters  as  for  the  courage  and  discipline  of 
her  forces  in  the  field.  In  possession  of  king  and  capital,  the 
Japanese  enjoyed  a  great  advantage.  The  poor  king,  as  help- 
less as  Montezuma,  bound  himself  by  treaty  to  furnish  supplies 
for  their  troops  until  the  independence  of  Corea  should  be 
secured,  and  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  into  insulting 
his  liege  lord  by  assuming  the  title  of  emperor.  How  great 
their  advantage  will  not  be  apparent  unless  we  suppose  the  situ- 
ation reversed.  With  a  Chinese  army  in  Seoul  commanding 
the  resources  of  the  kingdom,  who  can  say  that  the  issue  of 
the  conflict  might  not  have  been  otherwise?  In  that  first  bold 
stroke  the  palm  of  strategy  belongs  to  Japan. 

An  incidental  advantage,  not  to  be  overlooked,  was  the 
glamour  of  chivalry  which  it  gave  her  as  the  defender  of  the 
oppressed,  enabling  her  to  inscribe  on  her  banners  a  noble 
object.  Whatever  arricre  pciisee  she  may  have  indulged,  polit- 
ically this  was  shrewd,  but  knight-errantry  of  that  sort  is  out  of 
date.  Japan's  action  in  taking  the  initiative  is  to  be  justified,, 
if  at  all,  on  the  ground  that  the  disguised  hostility  of  the  Chi- 
nese made  war  inevitable  sooner  or  later,  and  it  was  wise  for 
her  to  strike  when  she  was  ready.  Before  spring  the  Chinese 
had  been  driven  out  of  Corea,  and  the  Manchurian  seaboard 
occupied  by  the  Japanese.  The  two  great  naval  fortresses 
had  fallen  into  their  hands,  and  the  Chinese  navy  was  amiihi- 
lated.  To  save  her  capital  China  sued  for  peace,  and  Japan 
stcjod  revealed  as  a  power  no  longer  to  be  disregarded  by  the 
cabinets  of  luirope. 

Her  successes  were  not  rapid,  but  they  followed  in  unbroken 
series  with  the  precision  of  science.  More  astoin'shing  still,  in 
her  armies  every  expedient  devised  to  mitigate  the  horrors  of 
war  was  to  be  found  in  active  o])erati()n.  Supplies  were  paid 
for,  few  acts  of  violence  were  heard  of  olf  the  field  of  battle, 
and    the   wounded   enemy   shared    with  the   Japanese   in  the 


CHINA    AND  HER  NEIGHBORS  405 

benefits  of  a  well-conducted  Red  Cross  organization.  Of  a 
thousand  Chinese  prisoners  recently  sent  home  by  Japan,  "  all 
were  in  good  health  and  spirits.  Many  had  been  wounded  in 
action,  and  some,  having  lost  arms  or  legs,  had  cork  substi- 
tutes." *  When  and  where  in  our  Civil  War  were  prisoners 
provided  with  "cork  legs"?  By  all  this — as  much  in  con- 
trast with  their  old  custom  of  cutting  ofif  ears  for  trophies  as 
with  the  heartless  speech  of  a  Chinese  taotai,  that  "  China  did 
not  wish  her  wounded  to  be  saved" — the  Japanese  have  earned 
for  themselves  a  high  place  in  the  scale  of  civilization. t 

It  is  said,  by  way  of  apology  for  the  mobs  and  massacres  so 
frequent  in  China,  that  such  things  occur  in  other  countries. 
Let  it  be  noted,  however,  that  they  do  not  occur  in  Japan. 
Almost  from  the  date  of  her  new  departure,  she  favored  Chris- 
tian missions  as  an  educational  agency,  though  without  a  line 
of  stipulation  on  the  subject;  and  of  late  she  has  gone  so  far 
as  to  guarantee  religious  liberty  by  an  article  in  her  new  con- 
stitution. China,  in  spite  of  line  upon  line  and  pledge  upon 
pledge,  is  more  and  more  showing  herself  in  the  character  of 
a  pagan  persecutor.  The  consequences  are  not  difficult  to 
foresee. 

As  to  the  future  of  Japan,  that  may  be  regarded  as  assured, 
provided  she  avoids  a  conflict  with  Russia.  Her  evacuation 
of  Liaotong,  though  unpleasant,  was  good  policy.  The  pos- 
session of  a  single  post  on  the  continent  would  expose  her  to 
dangerous  complications,  like  those  which  beset  England  as 
long  as  she  held  on  to  portions  of  France.  To  her,  as  to 
England,  the  sea  offers  a  safer  arena  for  ambition.  Formosa 
is   a  magnificent  prize,   sufficient   to   engross   her   colonizing 

•*   "  North  China  Herald,"  August  30,   1S95. 

t  The  lirutal  vengeance  taken  at  Port  Artliur,  and  more  recently  tlie 
murder  of  the  Corean  queen,  with  the  connivance  if  not  instigation  ot  a 
Japanese  minister,  are  (to  vary  the  figure)  heavy  weights  in  the  opposing 
scale. 


4o6  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

efforts  for  a  quarter  of  a  centurj'.  Other  prizes  lie  within 
reach.  The  grandest  that  looms  up  in  the. future  is  the  island 
of  Borneo.  The  largest  that  rests  on  the  bosom  of  the  deep — 
a  world  in  itself — it  is  enough  to  sate  the  wildest  wishes  for 
expansion.  Not  to  be  obtained  by  force,  it  might  be  easily 
acquired  by  diplomacy.  The  North  Borneo  Company,  which 
has  barely  begun  to  declare  small  dividends,  would  no  doubt 
be  glad  to  sell  out  for  such  an  amount  of  cash  as  Japan's  war 
indemnity  would  enable  her  to  offer.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  Rajah  Brooke ;  and  the  Sultan  of  Brunei  would  follow  of 
course.  Nor  would  the  British  government  make  objection, 
if  the  immediate  proprietors  were  satisfied.  Holland  might 
be  reckoned  with  later.  Imagination  revels  in  the  spectacle 
which  that  glorious  island,  almost  as  large  as  France  and 
Germany  combined,  might  present  half  a  century  hence,  in 
the  hands  of  a  people  who  to  the  civilization  of  Europe  add  a 
physique  capable  of  thriving  in  a  tropical  climate. 

Relations  witJi  the  United  States 

America  is  neighbor  to  China  only  in  the  sense  in  which 
the  Samaritan  was  neighbor  to  him  who  fell  among  thieves : 
others  may  wound  or  rob,  we  do  neither.  Not  that  we  are 
better,  but  the  remoteness  of  our  situation,  the  form  of  our 
government,  and  the  ampleness  of  our  domain  are  such  as 
to  keep  us  out  of  temptation.  This  applies  equally  to  our 
relations  with  Japan,  Both  nations  are  aware  of  it.  Hence, 
on  tlie  outbreak  of  war,  each  requested  the  United  States  to 
care  for  its  subjects  within  the  bounds  of  the  otiier,  while  to 
the  United  States  both  had  recourse  to  initiate  negotiations 
for  peace.  In  our  treaty  with  China,  as  elsewhere  men- 
tioned, the  exercise  of  such  good  ofhces  is  expressly  i)rovided 
for. 

A  country  so  remote  as  to  exclude  the  suspicion  of  a  design 
on  Chinese  territory,  so  separated  from  other  great  powers  as 


CHINA   AND  HER  NEIGHBORS  407 

to  be  free  from  entanglements,  withal  sufficiently  powerful  and 
sufficiently  enlightened  to  command  respect,  was  found  to 
fulfil  all  the  conditions  for  friendly  mediation.  More  than 
once  have  our  ministers  exerted  their  influence  to  preserve 
peace.  In  this  instance  they  have  laid  the  whole  world — not 
merely  those  two  nations — under  obligations  by  their  efforts  to 
restore  peace.  In  this  crisis  our  country  was  happy  in  being 
represented  at  the  two  courts  by  men  of  high  character  and 
long  experience.  Of  Mr.  Dun  I  am  unable  to  say  more  for 
want  of  personal  acquaintance,  but  of  Colonel  Denby  I  can 
add  that  his  clearness  of  perception  and  honesty  of  purpose 
are  such  as  would  adorn  the  supreme  bench.  Beyond  all 
precedent,  surviving  the  defeat  of  his  party,  he  has  served 
three  presidential  terms.  Who  shall  say  that  his  presence  in 
China  in  her  hour  of  need  was  not  ordered  by  more  than 
human  foresight  ? 

Without  exception,  our  representatives  at  Peking  have  been 
men  of  ability.  With  Burhngame  to  head  the  procession ; 
Brown,  a  clever  engineer ;  Low,  a  "  level-headed  "  governor ; 
Avery,  a  man  of  letters  (all  three  from  California) ;  then  Sew- 
ard, who,  from  natural  gifts  improved  by  consular  experience, 
deserves  to  be  called  the  "  son  of  his  uncle  "  ;  Angell,  president 
of  a  university;  Young,  a  leading  journalist  of  the  East;  and 
last,  not  least,  Denby,  with  his  third  term— and  we  have  an 
array  of  talent  unsurpassed  by  the  representation  of  any  other 
country.  In  the  selection  of  our  future  envoys  care  should 
be  taken  not  to  introduce  any  feeble  link  into  this  succession 
of  strong  men ;  and  when  any  man  has  proved  by  success  his 
exceptional  fitness,  he  should  be  kept  at  his  post  as  long  as  he 
is  willing  to  remain. 

Peking  has  risen  in  the  scale  of  importance  to  rival  Con- 
stantinople as  a  focus  of  intrigue.  In  addition  to  the  astute- 
ness of  Oriental  diplomacy,  our  ministers  encounter  there  the 
sharpest  wits  of  Europe.    Unlike  the  envoys  of  China's  nearer 


4o8  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

neighbors,  they  have  no  fixed  pohcy  to  maintain,  unless  it  be 
that  of  watching  over  the  rights  of  our  citizens,  merchant  or 
missionary,  and  taking  care  that  no  unfair  advantage  is 
accorded  to  the  people  of  other  nations.  What  this  rivalry 
means  will  be  made  plain  by  an  instance :  Some  years  ago  an 
American  syndicate  made  its  appearance,  with  a  formidable 
backing  of  capital,  aiming  at  something  like  a  commercial 
conquest.  It  was  represented  by  a  versatile  Polish  count, 
who,  by  resorting  to  Oriental  methods,  which  come  natural  to 
Ru.ssians,  carried  the  outworks  with  the  greatest  ease.  The 
viceroy  Li,  who  had  the  initiative  in  such  matters,  was  j)er- 
suaded  to  agree  to  a  loan  of  fifty  million  dollars,  to  be  em- 
ployed in  the  establishment  of  a  national  system  of  banks  and 
mints,  there  not  being  at  that  time  a  mint  in  the  empire  except 
for  copper  coin.  He  was  to  permit  them,  in  return,  to  con- 
struct and  run  railways,  to  be  handed  over,  after  a  term  of 
years,  free  of  cost.  A  preliminary  contract  was  signed,  and  it 
looked  as  if  China  was  emerging  from  tlie  age  of  brass  to 
have  the  ages  of  iron  and  of  silver  all  at  once.  But  the  terms 
required  to  be  sanctioned  at  Peking.  It  failed  there,  and  the' 
worlcl  imputed  its  failure  to  the  incompetence  of  the  agent. 
Never  was  imputation  more  unjust.  The  true  explanation 
was  the  alarm  awakened  among  Europeati  diplomats  by  that 
startling  outbreak  of  American  enterprise. 

"  Do  you  know  why  the  count's  scheme  failed  so  sig- 
nallv?  "  said  one  of  them  to  me,  in  an  after-dinner  tete-a-tete. 
Tlie  German  minister  (Doyen  of  the  corps)  came  to  me  and 
tlie  other  miiu'sters,  and,  holding  up  a  copv  f)f  the  contract, 
exclaimed,  "  There,  gentlemen,  see  what  the  Americans  have 
got.  If  we  alh)w  this  thing  to  go  on  the  Yankees  will  swcc]") 
the  board.  'I'lien  we  iiiav  as  well  put  our  commissions  in  our 
pockets  and  (juit  the  held.  Xothing  would  do  but  we  must 
go  with  him  to  the  \'ainen  U)  enter  protest.  And  so  that 
brilliant  enterprise  was  killed." 


CHINA   AXD  HER  KEIGIIHOKS  409 

Whether  the  United  States  minister  could  have  done  any- 
thing to  defeat  this  counterplot,  if  he  had  known  it,  is  doubtful. 
But  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  opposition  would  not  have 
had  time  to  organize  if  the  agent  had  observed  due  secrecy, 
or  if,  instead  of  tarrying  at  Tientsin,  he  had  pushed  on  to 
Peking  and  taken  the  United  States  minister  into  his  conli- 
dence,  even  without  buying  up  a  prince  or  two.  The  United 
States  might  then  have  had  a  bonanza,  instead  of  seeing  all 
the  good  things  turned  over  to  other  neighbors. 

In  closing,  I  wish  to  point  out  two  popular  errors.  First, 
it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  American  influence,  which  I 
take  to  mean  state  prestige,  is  at  a  discount.  Like  most  things 
that  possess  value,  it  has  had  its  fluctuations.  In  the  palmy 
days  of  Burlingame  it  was  at  a  premium,  not  altogether  on 
his  account,  but  more,  perhaps,  because  that  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  order  of  things,  in  which  friendly  advice  was 
not  unwelcome,  especially  when  asked  for.  It  declined  in  the 
long  agony  preceding  the  treaty  of  1894,  during  which  Chi- 
nese immigration,  once  so  ardently  wooed,  was  contemptuously 
spurned.  Our  government  had  made  its  solemn  obligations  a 
foot-ball  (let  the  aptness  of  the  metaphor  exxuse  its  triteness), 
to  be  kicketl  by  both  parties  in  each  political  contest.  What 
but  loss  of  prestige  could  it  expect  from  its  own  tergiversation, 
even  if  its  ministers  had  all  been  Burlingames? 

The  subject  of  Chinese  immigration  I  shall  not  discuss  here 
or  anywhere.  Yet  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  we  should 
have  had  a  less  humiliating  record  had  our  government  seen 
fit  to  limit  the  influx  by  adopting  tlic  measures  proposed  by 
Mr.  Seward  for  weeding  out  objectionable  classes.  Ihit  ex- 
tinction, not  limitation,  was  what  was  aimed  at,  and  on  that 
issue  he  was  sacrificed.  The  case  of  M.  Bouree  offers  a  par- 
allel, who,  for  proposing  term>  of  accommodation,  by  which 
French  interests  and  Chinese  susceptibilities  in  Tonquin  were 
cleverly  harmonized,  was  promptly  recalled  because  absorp- 


410  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

tion,  not  partnership,  was  the  end  in  view.  That  most  irri- 
tating question  settled,  the  influence  of  the  United  States  has 
been  rising,  and  the  action  of  our  minister  in  initiating  peace 
negotiations  brought  it  up  to  par. 

Second,  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  American  trade  is 
on  the  dech'ne.  With  changing  conditions,  the  great  houses 
have  gone  down,  one  after  another.  An  American  steamer 
is  rarely  seen  in  a  Chinese  port  (Hong  Kong  is  not  China). 
Not  long  ago  the  commissioner  of  customs  reported  that  for 
a  whole  month  not  a  single  vessel  bearing  the  American  flag 
had  been  entered  at  Shanghai.  Yet,  for  all  that,  our  trade 
grows,*  finding  its  way  to  and  fro  chiefly  in  Englisli  and  Jap- 
anese bottoms.  Nor  is  it  possible  for  legislative  blundering  to 
do  much  to  check  it.  With  the  growing  wealth  of  our  Pacific 
coast,  its  future  expansion  challenges  fancv  to  assign  a  limit. 

It  was  Cathay  (whose  wealth  had  been  portrayed  by  Marco 
Polo),  not  Zipangu  (Japan),  that  fired  the  imagination  of  Co- 
lumbus, turned  his  prow  to  the  west,  and  led  to  the  discovery 
of  America.  It  was  China  that  in  large  measure  prompted 
the  building  of  our  first  transcontinental  railwav,  and  the 
China  trade  has  had  a  share  in  building  three  others.  That 
trade  already  forms  the  chief  support  for  four  lines  of  steam- 
ers, with  every  prospect  of  expanding  until  the  Pacific  shall  be 
furrowed  by  as  many  keels  as  now  plow  the  Atlantic.  For 
this  no  new  condition  is  recjuired  but  that  of  progressive 
improvement  in  the  tastes  and  habits  of  the  Chinese  people. 
Who  sliall  afiirm  that  America's  interest  in  China,  present  or 
j)Otential,  is  wholly  of  the  sentimental  sort  ?  or  that  the 
sentimental   may  not  promote   the   material? 

*  The"  declared  exports  from  Tientsin  to  the  United  States  "  for  tlie 
hist  thrue  years  were  as  folhiws:  1S93,  940,871  taels  ;  1894,  1,751,800 
taels ;  1S95,  i,Si8,8Si  taels  =  .$2,425,000  (Mexican),  an  expansion  of 
nearly  one  Imndred  i)er  cent. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

SIR    ROBERT    HART  AND   THE   CUSTOMS   SERVICE 

His  influence  not  confined  to  the  customs — How  he  made  peace  with 
France — How  he  has  pioneered  improvements  in  China — The  service 
international  in  membersliip  —  Its  high  character — Its  influence  not 
epliemeral — Originating  in  an  accident,  integrity  has  made  it  perma- 
nent—  Sir  Roljert  declines  to  be  British  minister — He  wears  the 
honors  of  many  nations  —  His  liter.. ry  tastes — A  reminiscence  of 
Dr.   McCosh 

WHAT  Li  Hung  Chang  is  among  native  servants  of  the 
Chinese  government,  that  is  Sir  Robert  Hart  among  its 
foreign  employees.  Rare  in  personal  qualities  and  exceptional 
in  opportunity,  he  looms  up  like  the  Tungcho  pagoda,  which, 
rising  from  a  level  plain,  becomes  a  part  of  the  landscape,  and 
attracts  the  eyes  of  all  who  turn  their  faces  toward  Peking. 
If  he  has  not,  like  the  statesmen  of  British  India,  extended  the 
boundaries  of  his  own  country,  he  has  done  more  than  any 
other  man  to  avert  the  destruction  of  another  empire.  Much 
as  he  has  accomplished,  however,  he  is  far  from  sanguine  as  to 
the  ultimate  result.  "  I  am  afraid  we  are  tinkering  a  cracked 
kettle,"  he  said  to  me,  some  months  before  the  war  with  Japan 
had  come  to  expose  the  rottenness  of  China  to  all  the  world. 

For  over  thirty  years  Sir  Robert  has  ruled  with  autocratic 
sway  a  branch  of  the  revenue  service  which  employs  nearly 
eight  hundred  Eiu-opeans  and  five  times  that  number  of  Chi- 
nese, and  controls  a  commerce  amounting  to  three  hundred 
million  taels  per  annum.      Not  confining  himself  to  his  fiscal 

411 


412 


A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 


duties,  the  government  has  found  in  liim  a  confidential  ad- 
viser in  every  crisis  of  its  foreign  relations.  Not  to  speak  of 
smoothing  tlie  way  for  treaties  and  promoting  friendly  inter- 
course with  other  nations,  to  him  belongs  the  honor  of  staving 


\K  c,  !'■  \i;i  iNi-:' 


ofl  a  war  with  (Ireat  Jiritaiii  ii.  iSyA,  and  of  making  peace 
with  l''rance  nine  years  lalc-r.  I  lis  action  in  tin-  foniR-r  case 
in  i'eser\-ed  lor  anotlier  })nge;  the  latter  may  be  referred  to 
here  as  illustrating  more  than  one  ])hase  of  his  character,  as 
well  as  the  uni([ue  inllnence  of  his  position. 

\\  hen  tlie  l'"rench  were  in  I''onnosa,  tliey  seized  the  "  ]''eihu," 
a  small  steamer  emplo\-e(l  b\'  the  (  nstoins  as  a  revemie-ciUter. 
Ajiplying  in  \-am  to  Admiral  Courbet  for  the  ix-lease  of  the 
vessel,  Sii'   Kobert  appealed  to  Taris,  sending  Mr.  Campbell, 


SIR   ROBERT  HART  AM)    THE    CI  STOMS  413 

liis  London  agent,  to  lay  the  case  before  M.  Jules  Ferry,  the 
French  prenn'er.  ^L  Ferr}-  ordereil  the  vessel  to  be  returned, 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  in  no  way  concernetl  in  hostilities, 
but  actually  engaged  in  conveying  su})plies  to  lighthouses,  a 
humane  service  in  which  all  nations  were  interested.  Thank- 
nig  W.  Ferry  for  his  generosity,  Sir  Robert  instructed  his  agent 
to  sound  him  as  to  his  willingness  to  enter  into  negotiations 
looking  to  peace.  The  unpopular  war  was  an  albatross  on  the 
neck  of  the  premier,  and  he  was  glad  to  have  the  knot  untied 
by  a  friendly  hand.  Sir  Robert  got  himself  empowered  to  sj)eak 
for  the  Chinese  govermnent,  and,  entering  into  direct  tele- 
graphic communication  with  ^L  Ferry,  succeeded,  after  a  tedi- 
ous and  expensive  correspondence  (every  wortl  costing  two 
dollars),  in  obtaining  for  China  "  peace  with  honor." 

Nor  has  the  impress  of  Sir  Robert  Hart's  acti\-ity  been  less 
deep,  if  less  conspicuous,  on  the  internal  condition  of  China, 
for  every  step  in  the  direction  of  modern  improvements  has 
not  merely  l:)een  urged  or  recommended  l)y  him  at  the  time, 
but,  in  most  cases,  mapped  out  with  pro|)helic  foresight  long 
years  in  ad^•ance.  The  general  chart  of  sailing  directions,  in 
which  thev  are  laid  down,  bears  the  title  Pdii;^  Kiiaji  I.un^  a 
little  book  in  two  vcdumes.  more  tl.an  once  reprinted  by  the 
government  for  distribution  among  its  officers.  'I'he  first  volume 
dates  back  as  far  as  the  vear  1866.  when,  facing  the  uncertain- 
ties of  a  voyage  liome,  he  desired  to  k'a\-e  with  his  emjiloyers 
a  few  pages  of  serious  ad\ice.  If,  after  speaking  of  his  public 
character,  I  seem  to  intrude  on  the  sanctities  of  private  life, 
WiX  apology  must  be  that  he  has  been  much  written  about  by 
those  who  have  not  enjoyed  the  pri\-ileges  of  a  "friendship  of 
forty  years." 

The  customs  service,  of  wiiich  Sir  Robert  is  the  official  head, 
is  unlike  anything  that  bi-ars  that  name  in  WL->tern  lamls.  Yet 
it  is  not  Chinese,  either  in  metliod  or  in  personnel.  For.  while 
in  other  countries  customs  dues  are,  as  a  rule,  collected  by  their 


414  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

own  subjects,  in  this  service  the  official  corps  consists  entirely 
of  foreigners,  with  Chinese  assistants  under  their  direction — an 
arrangement  the  reverse  of  what  would  be  expected,  but  one 
for  which  a  reason  will  appear  in  the  sequel.  The  foreign 
appointments  are  not  monopolized  by  any  nationality,  but 
represent,  in  fact,  a  sort  of  international  corporation,  the  mem- 
bers of  which  are  chosen  by  the  inspector-general  with  a  view 
to  securing  for  the  service  the  good-will  of  the  various  nations 
interested  in  Chinese  commerce.  The  number  of  appointees 
assigned  to  each  is,  however,  in  proportion  rather  to  their  in- 
fluence than  to  the  amount  of  their  trade.  On  both  grounds 
the  lion's  share  properly  falls  to  Great  Britain,  but  in  [)oint  of 
fact  her  representation  is  less  than  her  due  ;  otherwise  no  room 
would  be  left  for  other  nations — her  trade  amounting  to  no 
less  than  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  sum  total. 

If  it  be  asked  why  the  French,  whose  trade  is  so  insignifi- 
cant, should  be  so  largely  represented,  they  having  three  out 
of  the  thirty  commissioners,  they  would  answer  that  they  are 
far  from  getting  as  much  as  they  deserve.  Having  borne  a 
leading  part  in  the  opening  of  the  oyster,  they  feel  entitled  to 
share  largely  in  all  tlie  good  things  resulting  from  that  opera- 
tion. That  feeling  is  exhibited  in  the  fact  that  while,  at  the 
open  ports,  other  nationalities  have  been  content  to  live  in  the 
British  concessions,  the  French  have  everywliere  demanded 
and  obtained  a  district  for  themselves,  to  which  they  do  not 
restrict  their  residence,  though  they  do  exploit  the  lands  for 
their  own  pecuniary  advantage,  and  govern  it  pretty  much  as 
if  it  were  French  territory.* 

*  I'y  way  of  illustratinn.  Tliey  seized  the  watcr-frDnt  heloncjint^  to  a 
mission  in  Shanj^'liai  and  erected  on  it  a  ])olice  station,  refiisin^r  to  jiay  for 
tlie  j^n-ound  iintil  diplomatic  pressure  was  hrouj^ht  to  bear.  Durint^  a  so- 
journ in  tile  same  city,  we  were  annoyed  one  day  bv  the  failure  of  the 
cook  to  return  from  market  in  time  to  !j;et  our  noonday  meal.  I'assint^ 
through  the  French  concession  in  the  afternoon,  the  j)Oor  fellow  hailed  me 


S/K  ROBERT  HART  AND    THE   CUSTOMS         415 

In  amount  of  trade  Japan  stands  high  in  tlie  scale,  but  on 
tlie  service  list  her  officials  arc  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 
If  explanation  be  sought  for  this  anomaly,  it  is  found  partly 
in  the  suspicion  £ind  contempt  with  which  the  Chinese  have 
hitherto  regarded  their  insular  neighbors.  They  are  not  ready 
to  concede  to  them  that  superiority  in  moral  quahties  which 
they  tacitly  admit  in  men  of  the  West. 

Though  the  "  I.  G."  (as  he  is  called)  accepts  nominations 
from  foreign  ministers,  he  allows  no  dictation  or  interference, 
reserving  to  himself  the  prerogative  of  taking  or  rejecting  can- 
didates, by  whomsoever  they  may  be  recommended.  The  in- 
dependence of  the  service  is  thus  protected,  and  the  high  char- 
acter of  its  membership  secured.  High  pay  (high  prior  to  the 
fall  in  silver),  immunity  from  direct  control  by  Chinese  officials, 
and  especially  the  prospect  of  lifelong  employment,  undisturbed 
by  the  fluctuations  of  party  politics,  have  concurred  to  make 
it  much  sought  for.  The  L  G.  has  on  hand  hundreds  of  ap- 
plications years  in  advance.  Among  those  now  or  formerly 
on  the  list  may  be  counted  several  sons  of  diplomatic  ministers 
(British,  American,  Dutch,  Italian,  etc.),  and  a  number  of  sons 
of  missionaries,  who,  born  in  the  country,  have  the  advantage 
of  knowing  the  Chinese  language.  "  I  take  a  pleasure,"  says 
the  I.  G.,  "  in  favoring  the  sons  of  missionaries." 

For  the  indoor  staff  it  is  well  understood  that  none  but  col- 
lege graduates,  or  those  who  have  had  an  exceptionally  good 
education,  need  apply.  For  the  outdoor  service  special  qual- 
ifications are  required  in  addition  to  testimonials  of  good 
character.  It  is  the  indoor  staff  that  gives  character  to  the 
entire  force,  and  by  careful  selection  the  I.  G.  has  made  it 
preeminently   a   service   of   gentlemen  —  unsurpassed   by   any 

and  begged  me  to  save  him.  Along  \\\i\\  many  otlier  unlucky  natives  he 
had  been  pressed  into  a  coolie  gang  and  compelled  to  work  all  day  at  the 
scene  of  a  recent  fire.  I  tokl  him  to  follow  me  ;  and  the  police,  seeing  that 
he  was  claimed  by  a  foreigner,  made  no  objection. 


41 6  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

similar  organization  in  the  world.  Entering  as  fourth  assistant, 
B,  with  one  hundred  dollars  (silver)  per  mensem,  the  new  official 
gradually  moves  up  until,  after  a  lapse  of  fifteen  or  twenty- 
years,  he  finds  himself  in  charge  of  a  port  as  deputy  commis- 
sioner, or  it  may  be  full  commissioner,  with  a  salary  of  eight 
or  ten  times  that  amount. 

A  peculiar  feature  of  the  Chinese  customs,  to  some  an  at- 
traction, to  others  a  drawback,  is  that  no  man  is  permanently 
attached  to  any  seaport ;  nor  is  there  a  fixed  term  of  tenure  for 
any  post.  A  principle  of  mobility,  borrowed  from  the  civil 
service  of  China,  keeps  them  in  constant  circulation  among 
twenty-four  ports,  scattered  over  an  area  of  two  thousand  miles 
from  north  to  south,  and  fifteen  hundred  from  east  to  west. 
Its  object  is  to  counteract  a  tendency  to  local  entanglements, 
and  to  give  to  all  an  equal  chance  of  serving  in  places  which, 
for  health  or  other  reasons,  are  regarded  as  desirable.  Every 
man  must  hold  himself  in  readiness  for  transfer  from  the  day 
of  arrival  at  a  new  post,  though  he  may  be  left  there  for  three, 
or  even  five,  years.  Of  his  next  destination  he  cannot  have, 
the  faintest  inkling,  as  there  is  no  order  of  sequence  known 
to  any  one  —  perhaps  not  even  to  the  autocratic  head  of  the 
service. 

So  systematic  is  this  want  of  system,  and  so  arbitrary  the 
permutations,  that  some  wag  has  invented  a  pretty  fiction  to 
account  for  them.  The  I.  G.,  he  affirms,  keeps  a  board  hang- 
ing in  his  office,  on  which  the  place  of  every  man  is  marked 
by  a  peg,  names  and  places  alike  being  in  cipher.  The  office 
boy,  in  taking  down  his  master's  hat  or  coat,  brings  down  by 
arcident  a  shower  of  those  mysterious  pegs,  and,  knowing 
nothing  of  their  ral)alistic  markings,  puts  them  u])  at  random. 

'i'ime  and  again  has  an  old  commissioner,  with  a  bank  bal- 
ance sufficient  to  beget  a  spirit  of  independence,  elected  to 
quit  the  ser\'ire  ratlier  than  take  uj)  a  disagreeable  {)OSt.  This 
has  happened  often  enough  to  suggest  that  the  I.  G.  knows 


.SYA'   KOBERT  HART  AXD    THE   CUSTOMS         417 

how  to  get  a  resignation  without  asking  for  it.  So  frequently, 
too,  have  Shanghai  and  Chefoo  fallen  to  some  member  of  the 
L  G.'s  family  circle  as  to  create  a  belief  in  a  special  provi- 
dence watching  over  them.  To  ladies  in  connection  with  the 
service  the  I.  G.  is  always  kind  and  considerate  :  married  com- 
missioners are  not  appointed  to  stations  that  are  noted  for 
being  malarious  or  sohtary ;  while  a  young  man  who  is  gifted 
with  some  social  accomplishment,  or  lucky  enough  to  have  an 
accomplished  wife,  is  sure  of  being  ordered  to  Peking.  The 
L  G.  has  thus  surrounded  himself  with  a  constellation  of  beauty 
and  musical  talent  which  eclipses  any  of  the  ten  legations. 
His  house  is  a  rallying-point  for  the  whole  foreign  community. 
He  keeps  a  band  of  music  under  a  foreign  maestro,  and  gives 
garden-parties  once  a  week,  and  dinners,  followed  by  dancing, 
at  least  as  often. 

The  only  stationary  man  in  the  service,  if  we  except  Mr. 
Detring,  who  has  been  retained  at  Tientsin  as  aid  and  counsel 
to  the  viceroy,  is  the  I.  G.  himself.  So  important  has  it  become 
for  him  to  be  within  reach  of  the  Tsungli  Yamen  that  for  the 
last  nine  years  he  has  not  passed  the  gates  of  Peking,  though 
it  was  formerly  his  wont  to  make  tours  of  inspection  among 
the  open  ports.  To  the  Yamen  he  is  responsible,  and  submits 
full  reports  ;  yet  such  is  the  confidence  with  which  he  is  regarded 
by  that  august  body  that  his  authority  within  his  own  domain 
is  never  opposed,  nor  are  any  of  his  acts  subjected  to  revision. 
Such  influence  is  the  slow  growth  of  years.  His  position  was, 
in  fact,  for  a  long  time  regarded  as  precarious.  The  American 
minister,  Mr.  Low,  once  predicted,  from  what  he  had  been 
told  at  the  Yamen,  that  "  Hart  would  lose  his  place  in  three 
months,"  with  a  "  you  bet  "  appended,  which,  I  suppose,  meant 
that  he  was  ready  to  back  his  prophecy  by  a  wager.  Without 
betting,  I  assured  him  that  "  Hart  was  stronger  than  he  had 
ever  been."  This  was  over  twenty  years  ago!  In  talking 
with  Mr.  Low,  the  Chinese  ministers  had  found  it  convenient 


4l8  A    CYCLE  OF  CATHAY 

to  throw  on  their  foreign  agent  the  blame  of  certain  things  of 
which  he  had  occasion  to  complain  ;  but  with  me  they  had  no 
reason  for  disguise  or  subterfuge. 

Power  like  his  is  not  transmissible  along  with  an  official  seal, 
and  in  this  sense  he  can  have  no  successor.  It  is  true  he  has 
sometimes  thought  of  resigning.  Once,  when  I  was  represent- 
ing to  him  the  importance  of  his  remaining  in  office  for  the 
well-being,  or  even  the  existence,  of  the  customs  service,  he 
took  from  my  hand  a  folding  fan,  and,  laying  his  finger  on  the 
rivet,  remarked,  "So,  it  seems,  my  position  is  there."  Speak- 
ing of  the  college,  which  had  at  that  time  the  aspect  of  a  sickly 
infant,  I  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  would  outlive  the  customs 
inspectorate.  "  The  college,"  I  said,  "  will  be  a  permanent 
institution,  but  the  life  of  the  customs  can  hardly  exceed  fifteen 
years."  "  I  give  it  twenty-five,"  he  replied,  admitting  that  it 
possesses  the  character  of  a  temporary  makeshift.  It  is  grat- 
ifying to  be  able  to  add  that  the  limit  assigned  by  me  has  been 
passed  long  since,  and  that  the  customs  inspectorate  appears 
to  be  more  vigorous  than  ever.  So  well  satisfied  is  the  govern- 
ment with  its  operation  that  it  has  made  no  provision  for  aiiv- 
thing  to  take  its  place ;  and  the  foreign  loans  required  by  the 
Japanese  war  indemnity,  being  based  on  the  customs  receipts, 
form  a  new  pledge  of  stability.  Yet  nothing  is  more  certain 
than  that  the  retirement  of  its  present  head  would  be  the  sig- 
nal for  serious  modifications,  and  that  eventuallv  the  roles  of 
the  foreign  members  and  of  their  Chinese  assistants  must  be 
reversed. 

By  no  means  does  the  prospect  of  such  a  transformation^ 
not  yet  in  siglit  —  argue  that  the  "  influence  of  the  customs 
service  is  ei^hemeral"  ;  rather,  the  reverse.  It  implies  a  pre- 
I)arat(>ry  education,  and,  while  Sir  Robert  has  manifested  no 
great  impatienre  to  have  nati\-e  officials  fit  themselves  to  stej) 
into  the  shoes  of  his  foreign  subordinates,  he  has  been  holding 
up  before  the  eyes  of  the  whole  Eastern  world  an  object-lesson 


SIR  ROBERT  HART  AXD    THE    CUSTOMS         419 

that  shines  Hke  a  lighthouse.  The  hghthouses,  with  which  he 
has  plentifully  provided  a  long  and  dangerous  coast,  are,  in 
fact,  the  best  emblem  of  a  service  which  has  had  the  effect 
of  exposing  quicksands  of  corruption  and  breakers  of  bad 
legislation. 

The  pilots  of  the  ship  of  state  are  proverbially  slow  to  steer 
by  borrowed  light,  but  in  the  end  they  do  steer  by  it.  Many 
years  ago  Sir  Robert  informed  the  cabinet  ministers  in  Peking 
that  twenty-eight  thousand  chests  of  opium  were  annually 
smuggled  into  Canton  from  the  port  of  Hong  Kong,  and  he 
proposed  to  stop  the  rat-holes. 

"  Will  that  affect  the  income  of  the  provincial  officers?  "  they 
inquired. 

"  Certainly,"  he  answered. 

"  Then,"  said  they,  ''you  had  better  not  touch  itP 

At  that  time  he  had  no  right  to  touch  it ;  but  he  has  now, 
and  scarcely  a  chest  slips  through,  in  spite  of  the  loss  to  high 
officials.  Last  summer  he  proposed  to  reform  the  entire  rev- 
enue ser\-ice,  as  he  has  his  own  branch  of  it.  The  same  ques- 
tions were  put,  and  the  same  answers  given  as  before.  "  No," 
said  the  cabinet  ministers,  "not  yet ;  the  hour  is  inauspicious  — 
in  the  wake  of  a  war — and  the  people  in  a  restless  mood.  The 
provincial  officials  would  never  stand  it.  No,  it  can't  be  done." 

But  it  can  be  done,  and  in  a  few  years  it  will  be  done,  if 
China  is  to  hold  together.  In  all  such  reforms  the  customs 
leaven  will  continue  to  work  at  points  invisible  to  foreign  eyes. 

Though  to  Sir  Robert  Hart  belongs  the  honor  of  having 
nursed  the  customs  service  into  greatness,  he  is  not  its  father. 
It  was  brought  into  existence  by  a  fortuitous  concourse  of 
events  without  paternity.  It  was  (save  the  mark!)  the  child 
of  a  rel;)ellion.  The  citv  of  Shanghai  having  been  taken,  in 
1853,  by  a  liorde  of  reltels,  called  "redheads,"  independent 
of  those  at  Nanking,  foreign  mercliants  refused  to  pa_\-  duties 
either  to  the  government  or  to  the  insurgents.     From  the  one 


420  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

party,  the  duties  were  withheld  because  they  had  lost  control 
of  the  citadel ;  from  the  other,  because  they  had  not  made  them- 
selves masters  of  the  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The 
government  protested,  and  emphasized  its  protest  by  investing 
the  city,  and  assuring  the  merchants  that  its  reduction  was  only 
a  question  of  time.  As  a  compromise,  it  was  agreed  that  the 
merchants  should  give  bonds,  to  be  redeemed  when  the  im- 
perial authority  should  be  reestablished.  Some  one  suggested 
that  a  responsible  collector  should,  in  the  meantime,  be  ap- 
pointed by  each  of  the  principal  nations  interested,  viz.,  Eng- 
land, France,  and  the  United  States.  The  appointee  for  England 
was  Mr.  (Sir  Thomas)  Wade.  When  accounts  came  to  be 
settled,  it  was  discovered  that  this  arrangement  had  yielded  a 
larger  revenue  than  the  native  taotais  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
reporting.  Their  method  is  to  make  a  low  estimate  of  the  prob- 
able intake,  and  pledge  themselves  to  make  good  any  deficit. 
Any  excess  they  always  pocket  if  they  can.  It  was  accordingly 
decided  that  a  system  which  had  worked  so  well  as  an  experi- 
ment should  assume  a  character  of  permanence  and  be  ex- 
tended to  other  ports.  To  give  it  unity,  Mr.  H.  N.  Lay  was, 
by  the  advice  of  Mr.  Wade,  appointed  inspector-general — an 
office  which  he  continued  to  hold  until  1863,  notwithstanding 
a  war  with  England,  which  lasted  three  years.  The  taotai 
of  Shanghai  expressed  his  astonishment  that  he  had  not  been 
able  to  detect  Mr.  Lay  in  a  single  act  of  peculation,  though 
he  had  many  a  time  laid  a  trap  for  him.  For  instance,  when 
two  ships  arrived  together  he  hinted  to  Lay  to  appropriate 
the  duties  of  one  and  give  him  those  of  the  other.  Other 
taotais  have  had  the  same  experience,  and  to  most  of  tlirm 
the  integrity  of  the  commissioners  is  so  far  from  agreeable  that 
they  are  all  hostile  to  the  system.  "All  the  taotais  are  dead 
against  us,"  said  Sir  Roljcrt.  Is  not  their  hostility  his  best 
indorsement? 

Dtiring  the  thirty-two  years  that  have  passed  since  that  date, 


S/J^  ROBERT  HART  AND    THE    CUSTOMS         421 

the  only  incumbent  of  the  post  has  been  Sir  Robert  Hart. 
The  man  has  exalted  the  position,  and  given  it  additional  luster 
by  declining  in  its  favor  the  appointment  of  British  minister. 
It  now  ranks  in  dignity  with  the  ministries  of  the  native 
government,  and  with  the  legations  of  foreign  powers.  "  I 
shall  still  have  to  go  out  to  dinner  at  the  tail  of  the  diplomatic 
corps,"  he  said  to  me,  when  he  made  up  his  mind  to  remain 
in  the  service  of  China. 

While  his  long  and  successful  administration  of  a  branch  of 
the  revenue  gives  him  the  status  of  a  minister  of  finance,  a  few 
instances  (some  of  which  have  been  mentioned  in  the  chapter 
on  diplomatic  missions)  will  show  how  really  he  has  acted  as 
minister  of  foreign  affairs. 

1.  The  tentative  mission  of  Pinchun,  in  1866,  preliminary 
to  the  appointment  of  ministers  to  foreign  countries,  originated 
with  him. 

2.  When,  in  1867,  the  idea  of  sending  Mr.  Burlingame  to 
the  United  States  and  Europe  as  envoy  for  China  had  come 
up  by  accident,  it  was  he  who  clinched  the  matter  and  made 
it  an  accomplished  fact. 

3.  When,  in  1876,  after  the  murder  of  Margary,  Sir  Thomas 
Wade  had  taken  down  his  flag  and  left  the  capital,  it  was  he 
who  procured  the  appointment  of  Li  Hung  Chang  to  follow 
him  to  Chefoo  and  negotiate  a  convention,  by  which  war  was 
averted. 

4.  In  1885,  when  the  war  with  France  had  gone  on  for 
nearlv  a  year,  and  both  parties  wished  for  peace,  it  was  he  who 
stepped  in  and  arranged  the  terms. 

5.  It  was  he  who  induced  the  Chinese  government  to  rec- 
ognize the  Portuguese  sovereignty  over  Macao. 

6.  It  was  he  who  brought  about  the  collection  at  the  open 
ports  of  the  duties  on  opium,  in  accordance  with  a  stipulation 
in  the  Chefoo  convention,  which  had  been  held  in  abeyance 
by  the  British  government. 


42  2  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Sir  Robert's  success  in  arranging  the  peace  with  France  led 
Lord  Granville  to  fix  on  him  for  successor  to  Sir  Harry 
Parkes  * — an  offer  renewed  by  Lord  Salisbury,  and  kept  open 
for  five  months  pending  the  settlement  of  certain  matters  which 
Sir  Robert  had  in  hand  for  the  Chinese  government.  Returning 
from  my  summer  vacation  at  the  Hills  on  August  25,  1885, 
I  met  Sir  Robert  coming  from  my  door.  He  turned  back  with 
me,  saying  that  he  desired  to  consult  me  about  an  affair  of 
great  interest  to  him,  but  that  he  would  not  pledge  himself  to 
follow  the  advice  I  might  give.  The  question  was  whether 
he  should  accept  or  decline  the  post  of  British  minister.  I 
advised  him  to  decline  it,  on  the  following  grounds : 

1.  That  the  office  he  then  held  was  one  of  much  greater 
influence;  that,  if  he  accepted,  he  would  leave  unfinished  a 
work  which  might  be  compared  to  the  founding  of  a  state  ;  and 
that  without  him  the  customs  service  would  fall  to  pieces. 

2.  That  he  would  find  it  impossible,  in  case  of  acceptance, 

*  Sir  Harry  Parkes's  career  in  its  main  lines  offers  a  parallel  to  those  of 
Sir  Robert  Ilart  and  Sir  Thomas  Wade,  beginning  as  a  humble  student  of 
Chinese,  and  culminating  in  the  honors  of  a  plenipotentiary — imjilying  high 
fjualities  and  hard  work.  The  web  of  his  destiny  was,  however,  interwoven 
with  a  peculiar  tissue  of  romantic  incident.  Originator  of  a  successful  war, 
he  had  the  good  luck  to  be  captured  by  the  enemy,  and  came  eventually,  l)y  a 
kind  of  poetic  justice,  to  occupy  a  princely  mansion,  as  the  (Queen's  repre- 
sentative, within  a  few  rods  of  the  cell  in  which  he  had  languished  as  a  j^ris- 
oner.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  rewarded  for  services  and  sufferings  by 
the  ministership  in  Japan,  where  he  was  the  first  foreign  envoy  to  welcome 
the  mikado  to  his  eastern  capital,  and  where  he  earned  the  gratitude  of 
tlie  Japanese  by  tlie  symjiathy  .an<l  aid  which  he  offered  them  in  their 
schemes  of  reform.  liut  sincere  as  was  his  friendship,  he  was  not  alwavs 
careful  to  disguise  a  distasteful  lesson  by  a  sugar-coating  r.f  (h'plomatic 
forms.  Vex  instance,  if  we  mav  credit  a  current  rumor,  when  the  Ta]ia- 
nese  once  hinted  at  armed  resistance  to  some  demand,  "  T'.reat  liritain 
(ould  crusli  Japan  like  that,"  he  re[)lie<l,  smashing  an  egg-shell  tea-cup 
by  way  of  illustration. 

'J  o  the  Cliine.ie  the  name  of  J'a^hali  ("  Parkes  Harry  ")  stood  f(jr  some- 


S/J?  ROBERT  HART  AND    THE    CUSTOMS         423 

to  give  satisfaction  to  either  party :  the  Chinese  would  be  cer- 
tain, if  he  opposed  them,  to  tax  him  with  ingratitude,  and 
British  merchants  would  always  suspect  him  of  leaning  to  the 
side  of  the  country  he  had  served  so  long. 

In  the  afternoon  he  telegraphed  to  Lord  Salisbury,  declin- 
ing the  honor,  and  Prince  Clung  thanked  him  for  deciding  in 
favor  of  China. 

Having  been  so  long  in  a  position  to  further  the  interests  of 
various  countries,  it  is  not  surprising  that  Sir  Robert  should 
wear  the  decorations  of  nearly  all  the  courts  of  Europe.  But 
no  honors  afford  him  as  much  satisfaction  as  those  conferred 
by  the  government  he  has  served  and  his  mother-country. 
From  China  he  has  received  the  insignia  of  a  mandarin  of 
the  first  grade,  and,  in  addition  thereto,  a  rare  distinction,  which 
in  China  is  very  substantial,  though  a  little  shadowy  in  the 
West,  viz.,  the  ennobling  by  imperial  decree  of  his  ancestors 
for  three  generations.  Some  of  his  friends  amused  themselves 
with  imagining  how  a  sturdy  old  miller  would  be  startled  to 
find  himself  a  Chinese  noble,  and  Sir  Robert  believed  such 
honors  had  no  meaning  in  the  Western  world.  I  was  able, 
however,  to  point  out  to  him  a  precedent  which  proves  that 

thing  like  Satan,  and  the  ministers  of  the  Tsungli  Vamen  quaked  in- 
wardly when  they  licard  of  his  appointment  to  Peking.  When  sounded 
as  to  liis  acceptalility,  tliey  meekly  answered,  "As  it  has  pleased  tlie 
Queen  to  a]ipoint  him,  we  shall  treat  him  with  all  due  courtesy."  Subse- 
quently, in  their  Inisiness  discussions  with  Sir  Harry,  they  were  nfit  so 
meek,  always  putting  forward  Chang  Peilun,  the  "  fighting  member  of 
the  firm,"  to  meet  him  with  bluster  and  violence.  Though  he  was  up- 
right and  pacific  in  principle.  Sir  Harry's  temjier,  it  must  be  confessed, 
was  not  always  jiroof  against  the  jirovocations  of  an  Oriental  junta. 

In  private  life  he  was  the  most  amiable  of  men,  full  of  magnetism  and 
adorned  with  all  nol)le  and  gentle  virtues.  His  term  in  Peking  was  brief, 
perhaps  fortunatclv  for  his  fame,  and  no  man  has  so  powerfully  impressed 
the  imagination  of  the  foreign  community  in  China.  His  statue  overlooks 
the  public  garden  in  Shanghai,  as  that  of  the  man  whom  above  all  others 
they  delighted  to  honor. 


424  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

they  are  not  unknown.  In  the  aristocratic  society  of  Vienna, 
a  minister  of  Francis  I.  complained  that  his  wife  was  subjected 
to  slights  on  account  of  her  plebeian  origin.  "  I  can  make  that 
all  right,"  said  the  emperor,  and  he  forthwith  conferred  nobihty 
on  her  deceased  ancestors. 

The  baronetcy  bestowed,  in  1890,  on  Sir  Robert  by  the 
Queen  of  Great  Britain,  gave  him  the  more  pleasure  as  it  made 
him  an  ancestor — the  founder  of  a  family,  I  believe,  however, 
that  it  required  the  investment  of  fifty  thousand  pounds  in 
government  three  per  cents.,  involving  a  considerable  sacrifice 
in  the  way  of  income.  "  I  am  the  more  gratified,"  he  said,  in 
response  to  my  note  of  congratulation,  "  because  it  represents 
a  large  amount  of  honest  work — work  carried  on  perseveringly 
from  the  age  of  ten." 

Sir  Robert,  though  one  of  fortune's  favorites  and  a  man  of 
preeminent  talent,  believes  in  work.  Almost  any  day  of  the 
year  he  may  be  found  in  his  office  from  9  a.m.  to  5  p.m.,  with 
a  brief  interval  for  lunch  and  for  siesta,  to  him  no  less  essen- 
tial. He  allows  himself  no  vacation ;  never  quits  Peking,  not- 
even  to  visit  the  Hills,  which  he  has  seen  only  at  a  distance ; 
and  takes  no  form  of  exercise,  except  walking  in  his  garden. 
For  him  the  monotony  of  existence  is  relieved  by  music  and 
literature.  While  he  is  at  work  the  din  of  a  brass  band  is  often 
heard,  suggesting  that  he  drives  his  (}uill  to  the  beat  of  the 
drum.  But  no  sooner  does  he  drop  his  pen  than  he  takes  up 
the  fiddle-bow,  and  the  brass  band  is  silent.  Like  Luther,  he 
has  found  the  violin  the  best  banisher  of  care. 

Three  or  four  years  ago  my  wife  sent  him  a  New- Year's 
card  adorned  with  a  cat  playing  on  a  violin.  Aff"ecling  to 
take  unii)rage  at  the  allusion,  he  replied  in  comic  verse  that 
would  liave  done  credit  to  Hood,  beginning,  "  O  unfeline 
Martin!  "  Among  his  clever  rhymes  occurred  the  Chinese 
word  ?niao,  which  means  "admirable."  "So  adnu'rable  are 
your  verses,"  said  my  wife,  in  a  note  of  thanks,  "  that  when  I 


S//^  ROBERT  JIART  AND    THE   CUSTOMS         425 

came  to  miao  I  could  not  refrain  from  exxlaiming,  '  Alicat 
Musa! ' "  Meeting  him  at  dinner  in  the  evening,  he  said  to 
me,  "That  was  splendid — 'My  cat  mews  ah!'"  No  man 
more  enjoys  a  joke,  and  few  are  more  apt  at  making  one. 

A  poet  by  nature  and  taste,  his  life  of  facts  and  figures  has 
not  quenched  the  flame.  On  July  4,  1876,  he  handed  me  a 
poem  in  praise  of  the  United  States,  to  be  read  at  the  centen- 
nial dinner  at  our  legation.     It  began  with  the  sonorous  line : 

"  Nebraska's  flagstaff  proudly  central  stands," 

and  expressed  in  terse  iambics  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  spirit 
of  our  institutions. 

From  time  to  time  he  has  shown  me  some  exceedingly  good 
verses,  but  he  has  pubhshed  nothing,  and  upon  this  I  remarked 
to  him,  "  The  world  will  be  as  much  surprised  to  see  a  volume 
of  poems  from  you  some  day  as  it  was  to  see  one  from  Mr. 
W.  E.  H.  Lecky."  Poet  he  certainly  is,  if  it  be  a  proof  of 
inspiration,  like  Coleridge,  to  make  verses  in  one's  sleep.  One 
morning  he  repeated  to  me  a  very  good  quatrain,  containing 
reason  as  well  as  rhyme,  which  had  come  to  him  in  a  dream. 

With  the  Latin  classics  he  continues  to  keep  himself  familiar, 
and  indulges  in  quotations  with  those  who  understand  them  ; 
but  his  favorite  mental  tonic  is  metaphysical  philosophy.  This 
was  the  study  in  which  he  most  excelled,  as  I  have  been  told 
by  Dr.  McCosh,  whose  lectures  he  attended  in  Queen's  College, 
Belfast,  before  the  learned  professor  came  to  Princeton.  Proud 
of  his  distinguished  pupil.  Dr.  McCosh  claimed  the  credit  of 
having  introduced  him  to  the  scene  of  his  triumphs.  "At  the 
close  of  his  college  course,"  said  the  doctor,  "  Hart  came  to 
me  and  said,  '  You  have  given  me  new  tastes,  which  make  it 
impossible  for  me  to  go  back  to  my  father's  mill.  Can  you 
find  me  any  congenial  employment?  '  I  replied  by  putting  into 
his  hands  a  call  for  young  men  to  present  themselves  in  Down- 
ing Street  as  competitors  for  posts  in  the  consular  service  in 


426 


A    CYCLE    OF   CATHAY 


China."  Winning  his  prize,  young  Hart,  then  scarcely  twenty, 
entered  the  consulate  at  Ningpo  in  1854.  Five  years  later  he 
passed  over  to  the  employ  of  the  Chinese  government,  in  which 
the  floating  of  the  great  loan,  conditioned  as  it  is  on  the  cus- 
toms revenue,  may  fairly  be  regarded  as  the  culmination  of  a 
long  series  of  brilliant  services. 

Another  young  man  arrived  at  Ningpo  along  with  Robert 
Hart,  whose  case  may  serve  to  "  adorn  a  tale  "  by  way  of  con- 
trast, if  not  to  "  point  a  moral."  Growing  tired  of  the  consular 
service,  in  which  the  pay  of  the  lower  ranks  was  scarcely  suf- 
ficient to  make  ends  meet,  X- ■  resigned,  and  started  home. 

While  waiting  for  a  steamer  in  Shanghai,  his  eve  caught  the 
notice  of  a  Spanish  lottery,  and  he  spent  one  of  his  last  guineas 
on  a  ticket.  Imagine  his  amazement,  a  few  weeks  later,  to 
learn  that  he  had  drawn  a  prize  of  seven  thousand  dollars!  — 
a  smile  of  Fortune  to  console  him  for  the  favors  she  had  lavished 
on  his  rival. 


MIDWAY    ARCH    IN    PASS    AT   Till;    (iRlCAT    WAI.I,.       {^-V.V.    I'ACR    2SO.i 


CHAPTER    XIV 

SIR    THOMAS    WADE    AND    THE    AUDIENCE    QUESTION 

JTis  crirecr — His  scholarsliip — His  temper — His  diplomacy — Attempt  at 
social  intercourse  with  mandarins — The  audience  ceremony — The 
spell  only  half  broken 

SO  frequently  has  the  name  of  Sir  Thomas  Wade  occurred 
in  the  foregoing  pages  that  a  few  additional  recollections 
may  not  be  unwelcome.  For  forty  years  he  was  a  figure  in 
the  East.  Arriving  in  Hong  Kong  in  1843,  shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  war,  with  a  small  ofifice  in  the  garrison,  he  pres- 
ently acquired  sucli  a  command  of  the  Chinese  language  as  to 
lead  to  his  transfer  to  the  civil  service  of  the  colony,  l^ecom- 
ing  Chinese  secretary  to  Lord  Elgin  in  the  second  war,  he  was 
made  secretary  of  legation  at  Peking ;  and,  after  being  cJiai-ge 
d\jjfai>rs,  filled  for  ten  years  the  position  of  minister  plenipo- 
tentiary. 

At  a  dinner  at  the  United  States  legation,  the  circumstance 
being  mentioned  that  donkeys  are  much  used  outside  of  Peking, 
though  not  deemed  respectable  within  the  gates,  he  remarked, 
"  It  was  on  a  donkey  that  I  came  to  the  gate  on  being  made 
her  Majesty's  minister."  "  May  you  continue  to  be  '  her 
Majesty's  minister,'  "  said  I,  "until  you  can  go  away  by  rail." 
"  Let  us  drink  to  that,"  he  said,  accepting  it  as  a  timely  toast. 
He  left  Peking,  in  1882,  on  horseback.  Four  years  later  a 
railway  was  ordered  to  be  built  from  Tientsin  to  Tungcho, 
with  the  prospect  of  extension  to  the  capital.    It  was,  however, 

427 


428  J    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

countermanded  on  account  of  certain  unlucky  presages,  such  as 
a  fire  in  the  palace  and  the  burning  of  the  Temple  of  Heaven 
by  a  stroke  of  lightning.  Foreign  ministers  are  still  left  to 
come  and  go  on  donkeys,  unless  provided  with  private  means 
of  conveyance. 

When  we  first  met  at  Taku,  in  1858,  he  spoke  of  a  book  he 
was  preparing  to  facihtate  the  acquisition  of  the  Mandarin  or 
court  dialect.  It  was  founded  on  a  native  work  called  Sanho 
Yii/ii,  and  came  out  in  parts  at  long  intervals ;  but  it  was 
worthy  to  be  the  task  of  half  a  lifetime.  It  has  been  of  im- 
mense service  to  foreign  students,  and  has  done  more  for  the 
reputation  of  its  author  than  any  of  his  diplomatic  achievements. 

At  Peking  we  saw  a  good  deal  of  each  other.  He  often 
came  to  my  house  to  talk  over  matters  in  dispute  with  the 
Yamen  —  not  to  get  my  views,  but  to  put  me  in  possession  of 
his,  believing  that  I  would  convey  them  to  the  Chinese  min- 
isters, though  he  never  asked  me  to  do  so.  On  one  occasion, 
when  tlie  situation  was  very  serious  (it  was  after  the  Margary 
murder),  he  invited  me  to  breakfast  with  himself  alone,  and 
after  setting  forth  his  ideas  in  a  lengthy  speech,  in  the  course 
of  which  he  grew  more  and  more  excited,  he  sprang  from  his 
seat,  and,  striking  his  hands  together,  exclaimed,  "They  will 
have  to  accept  this,  or  there  will  be  war ;  and  I,  Thomas  Francis 
Wade,  will  make  it,  as  sure  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  1" 

A  Russian  minister  once  enacted  a  similar  scene,  desiring, 
like  AVade,  through  me  to  make  an  impression  on  the  Tsungli 
Yamen.  I  was  lunching  with  him  alone,  when,  complaining 
bitterly  of  the  conduct  of  the  Chinese  ministers,  he  put  on  a 
furicnis  air,  and  shrieked  out  that  if  they  refused  to  comply  with 
his  demands,  Jc  Iciir  portrrai  iin  coup  dout  ils  uc  sc  irlh'cro/it 
jaiiiais  ("  I'll  give  them  a  blow  from  which  they  will  never 
re(()\-er").  He  did  not,  however,  threaten  war  or  appeal  to 
the  Deity.  W"\\\\  AN'ade  such  el)ullitinns  were  the  natural  ex- 
pression of  an  impatient  temper.    In  dispute  with  the  Chinese, 


S//^    T.  WADE  AND    THE  ALDIEXCE    QUESTIOX  429 

he  would  tear  his  hair  and  clench  his  fists,  producing  on  a  calm 
Oriental  an  impression  of  impotent  rage  rather  than  of  danger. 
They  resented  such  displays,  but  esteemed  him  very  highly 
notwithstanding  (I  do  not  say  iievertliclcss),  and  spoke  with  in- 
dulgence of  his//V///  ("diseased  Hver").  Once,  when  I  was 
lunching  with  him  in  company  with  Mr.  Mori,  the  Japanese 
minister  (there  were  no  other  guests),  the  conversation  turned 
on  the  development  of  the  British  constitution.  "  How  for- 
tunate," said  I,  "  for  the  stability  of  the  constitution,  that  Eng- 
land's future  king  is  not  conspicuous  for  talent  ! "  Half  start- 
ing from  his  seat,  he  turned  on  me  a  look  of  mingled  surprise 
and  displeasure,  leading  me  to  think  I  had  been  guilty  of  a 
faux  pas  in  disparaging  the  heir  apparent  at  the  table  of  the 
Queen's  representative.  Imagine  my  sense  of  relief  when  he 
gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  the  question,  "  What  do  you  think 
he  could  do  against  the  constitution,  even  if  he  were  a  man  of 
talent  ?  " 

A  good  example  of  his  influence  with  the  Chinese  is  his 
agency,  already  mentioned,  in  preventing  war  with  Japan,  in 
1874,  when  the  Japanese  sent  a  hostile  expedition  against  the 
savages  of  Formosa.  Meeting  him  as  he  was  going  to  the 
Yamen  to  settle  the  terms  of  a  convention,  I  said,  "  Blessed 
are  the  peacemakers!" 

In  his  dealings  with  the  Chinese,  Sir  Thomas  was  generally 
just,  though  he  fell  short  of  tht  fust  ion  et  tenaceni.  ^Vhen  he 
was  charge  d'affaires,  he  said  to  me  that  he  "  would  ne\-er  sac- 
rifice the  interests  of  four  hundred  millions  to  those  of  twenty- 
five."  How  few  diplomatists  have  taken  this  broad  view  of 
their  responsibilities!  Ko  we  chi  chii  ("Every  man  for  his 
master  "),  say  the  Chinese.  Christian  diplomacy,  if  there  is 
such  a  thing,  seldom  rises  above  that  heathen  maxim.  A  rule 
laid  down  by  the  first  ]\Iarquis  Tseng  (when  viceroy  of  Nan- 
king) is  equally  commendable  on  the  score  of  morality  and  of 
statesmanship  :  "  What  is  beneficial  to  us,  and  not  injurious  to 


430  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

you,  I  demand.     What  is  beneficial  to  you,  and  not  injurious 
to  us,  I  concede." 

When  Sir  Thomas  was  once  walking  alone,  a  young  rowdy 
shied  a  stone  at  him,  and  when  he  turned  to  pursue  his  assail- 
ant the  latter  struck  him  on  the  head  with  a  stick.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Tsungli  Yamen,  who  happened  to  be  passing,  took 
the  fellow  into  custody.  Alarmed  at  the  possible  consequences 
of  an  attack  on  the  sacred  person  of  an  ambassador,  the  Yamen 
was  disposed  to  inflict  the  most  severe  punishment,  beginning 
with  the  bamboo  and  the  wooden  collar.  But  Wade,  in  his 
goodness  of  heart,  requested  that  the  culprit  be  set  at  liberty, 
and  that  certain  debts  due  to  British  merchants  in  Hankow 
should  be  paid  by  icaj  of  satisfaction.  "  Curious  plaster  for  a 
sore  head,"  said  Mr.  Low,  who  did  not  quite  approve  of  that 
mode  of  enforcing  a  just  claim. 

A  better  opportunity  for  enforcing  just  claims,  as  well  as 
for  removing  obstacles  that  lay  in  the  [)ath  of  progress,  was 
afforded  by  the  murder  of  Margary,  a  plucky  young  English- 
man, who,  on  entering  the  province  of  Yunnan  from  Burmah, 
was  killed  by  Chinese  officials,  in  spite  of  his  jjassports.  His 
object  was  to  open  a  new  route  to  India,  theirs  to  deter  any 
one  from  following  in  his  footsteps.  Wade  charged  the  crime 
on  the  viceroy,  and  demanded,  among  other  things,  that  he 
should  be  brought  to  Peking  for  trial.  The  Chinese  refusing 
compliance,  he  struck  his  flag  and  left  the  capital.  When  the 
viceroy  Li,  at  the  suggestion  ni  Mr.  Hart,  was  sent  to  pursue 
him  and  open  negotiations  at  Chefoo,  he  might  have  made  a 
Ijetter  use  of  the  immense  leverage  supplied  Ijy  a  casus  belli. 
It  was,  i)erhaps,  his  moderation  and  sense  of  justice  that  pre- 
vented his  doing  so.  The  only  progressive  measures  for  which 
he  stii)ulated  were  the  ojjum'ng  of  Chungking,  on  the  ll])per 
Yang-tsc,  and  the  collection  of  o})iuin  duties  at  the  open  ports. 
Nor  was  it  his  fault  if  bcnh,  fcjr  a  time  at  least,  were  rendered 
nugatory.     Two  other  measures,   which  might  have  shed  a 


S/J?   T.  IVADE  AND   THE  AUDIENCE   QLESTION  431 

brighter  luster  on  liis  treaty,  were  held  out  to  him  as  an  olive- 
branch,  but  he  declined  to  discuss  them.  'I'hey  were  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  postal  s}-stem* — China  having  no  public  post  ex- 
cept for  the  use  of  officials — and  the  introduction  of  a  silver 
coinage,  to  take  the  place  of  lumps  of  bullion.  Had  he  been 
aggressively  inclined,  he  might  have  seized  Chefoo  by  way  of 
reprisal,  and  established  in  the  North  a  focus  of  British  influ- 
ence, alike  convenient  for  coercion  or  protection.  Had  that 
been  done,  the  war  with  Japan  and  the  present  ascendancy  of 
Russia  might  have  been  averted. 

In  the  course  of  the  correspondence  which  led  to  this  rup- 
ture, Wade  tlu'eatened  Prince  Kung  with  the  forfeit  of  his  per- 
sonal friendship.  The  |»rince  coolly  replied  that  he  had  noth- 
ing to  lose  in  tliat  line,  his  relations  with  the  British  minister 
being  pul)lic  and  not  piixate.  He  might  have  said  as  much  to 
any  other  member  of  the  dijilomatic  body.  Such  intercourse 
as  existed  was  restricted  to  formal  meetings  at  the  Yamen  or 
legations;  tlie  foreign  en:()y  had  no  other  point  of  contact 
witli  the  higli  society  (jf  llie  capital,  and  his  circle  of  acquain- 
tance was  confined  to  the  memljers  of  one  Yamen. 

This  state  of  tilings  \\'ade  made  a  jjraiseworthy  attempt  to 
alter,  but  his  efTorts  were  not  attended  by  any  very  flattering 
success,  tliougli  supported  bv  the  Clerman  minister.  In  their 
interviews  with  tlie  prince,  they  took  occasion  to  describe  the 
brilliant  societv  that  opens  its  arms  to  welcome  a  foreign  envoy 
in  Western  capitals,  and  intimated  a  desire  to  form  a  more 
extended  acquaintance  with  tlie  official  life  of  the  Chinese 
metropolis.  The  Chinese  Xew  Year  was  lixed  on  as  the  time 
for  inaugurating  a  new  era  of  social  intercourse.  Why  did  not 
the  jirince  throw  open  his  jKilace  and  commence  it  by  a  state 
hall  ?  Japanese  princes  had  done  the  like  without  any  prompt- 
ing, lie,  however,  thought  best  to  l)egin  cautiously  at  the 
Tsungli  Yamen.  Calling  there  on  tlie  dav  fixed  for  his  recep- 
tion, I  found  his  Highness  surrounded  by  Manchu  nobles  and 
*   Decreed  by  the  emperor,  May,  1896. 


432  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

Chinese  dignitaries,  to  the  number  of  three  or  four  score,  the 
most  brilliant  assemblage  of  mandarins  I  had  ever  seen — a 
miniature  of  the  imperial  court.  As  the  legations  were  received 
separately,  each  minister  had  no  more  than  half  an  hour  to 
become  acquainted  with  all  those  new  faces.  These  new  ac- 
quaintances returned  the  call  according  to  program,  visiting 
the  ten  legations  in  one  day,  and  spending  half  an  hour  at  each. 
The  next  step  in  knitting  the  bonds  of  amity  was  for  the  for- 
eign ministers  to  call  on  them  at  their  houses.  Only  two  or 
three  were  found  at  home ;  the  rest  were  purposely  absent ; 
and  it  cost  the  Europeans,  who  were  so  anxious  to  be  friendly, 
two  days  of  toil  to  leave  cards  at  forty  doors  in  all  parts  of 
the  city. 

Those  domiciliary  visits  were  not  repeated ;  all  that  now  re- 
mains of  that  social  departure  is  a  visit  once  a  year  from  a  few 
additional  mandarins,  and  a  few  more  faces  at  the  prince's  New- 
Year's  receptions.  In  Europe  access  to  society  is  made  easy 
for  a  foreign  envoy  by  community  of  languages,  ideas,  and 
social  forms,  all  of  which  are  wanting  in  China.  Not  until  the' 
Chinese  make  up  their  minds,  like  Japan,  to  adopt  the  civili- 
zation of  the  West,  will  social  intercourse  be  anything  more 
than  a  compulsory  mingling  of  oil  and  water. 

Sir  Thomas  married  a  daughter  of  Sir  John  Herschel,  who 
will  be  long  remembered  in  Peking  for  her  own  estimable 
qualities  and,  by  the  way,  for  a  conundrum  to  which  she  gave 
occasion.  "  Why  is  the  lady  who  presides  in  this  legation  like 
a  young  duck?  "  Answer  :  "  Because  the  moment  she  left  her 
shell  she  went  to  wade." 

Walking  one  day  in  a  fine  park  attached  to  the  summer 
palace,  and  curious  to  know  what  the  guard  would  say,  I  in- 
quired who  burned  the  buildings  whose  ruins  lay  around  me. 

"Wei  Toma  "  ("Wade  Thomas"),  he  promptly  replied. 

"  I)(j  you  know,"  I  asked,  "that  he  is  now  British  minister 
in  Bekincr?  " 


S//i    T.  WADE  AND    THE  AUDIENCE    QUESTION  433 

"He  was,"  replied  the  guard,  "but  he  is  dead  now;  when 
he  was  taken  into  the  presence  of  the  emperor  he  was  so  fright- 
ened that  he  died." 

Certainly  no  man  had  more  to  do  with  the  audience  ques- 
tion, whether  in  its  earlier  or  its  later  phases.  He  must  have 
been  consulted,  but  it  may  not  have  been  by  his  advice  that  the 
demand  for  audience  was  not  pressed  in  1862.  When  the  ques- 
tion came  up  again,  in  1873,  it  was  he  who  bore  the  principal 
part  in  arranging  the  terms ;  and,  after  the  event,  it  was  his 
hand  that  placed  on  record  the  most  authentic  account  of  it. 

Peking  is  the  only  place  on  the  face  of  the  earth  where  the 
ceremonial  for  receiving  ambassadors  takes  rank  as  a  serious 
matter  of  state  policy.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  in  a  coun- 
try which  makes  ceremony  a  chief  instrument  of  government, 
and  in  which  a  Board  of  Rites  forms  a  leading  department  of 
the  administration? 

When  the  first  envoys  arrived  from  Western  powers,  they 
were  met  by  this  question  on  the  threshold  of  the  palace. 
Through  the  succeeding  centuries  it  has  kept  its  place  in  front 
of  all  others.  The  friction  occasioned  by  it  has  never  ceased, 
and  of  late  it  has  entered  on  an  acute  stage.  What  then  is 
this  mysterious  question  ?  Is  it  a  matter  of  dress,  something 
like  that  of  conformity  to  the  costume  of  a  European  court  as 
a  condition  for  presentation?  Like  it  it  is  ;  only  costume  does 
not  enter  into  it ;  posturing  takes  its  place  as  the  prime  essen- 
tial. The  nine  prostrations  had  always  been  exacted  of  envoys 
who  entered  the  palace.  Lord  McCartney  was  received  in  a 
tent,  when  the  emperor  was  on  a  hunting  excursion,  much  as 
the  Sultan  of  Morocco  receives  on  horseback.  The  Tientsin 
treaties  contain  a  vague  assurance  of  some  relaxation  in  the 
ceremonial ;  but  when  the  Allies  entered  Peking  as  victors,  in 
i860,  the  matter  was  ignored  in  the  convention  there  signed, 
and  when  their  legations  were  established,  their  ministers  were 
so  far  outwitted  as  to  be  persuaded  to  hold  their  right  of  audi- 


434  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

ence  in  abeyance,  at  least  during  the  emperor's  minority. 
Their  gallantry  was  appealed  to  to  spare  the  feelings  of  two 
young  widows,  who  might  be  alarmed  by  the  appearance  of 
bearded  strangers.  They  yielded  the  more  gracefully,  as  they 
were  not  anxious  to  bow  and  scrape  before  an  infant  of  six 
summers,  forgetting  that  for  state  purposes  the  form  of  the 
audience  was  everything,  and  the  personality  of  the  prince 
nothing.  Not  the  least  mischievous  of  their  many  blunders, 
that  decision  had  the  effect  of  keeping  them  out  of  the  Grand 
Palace  for  over  thirty  years.  Of  what  consequence  was  the  age 
of  the  sovereign,  or  the  existence  of  a  female  regency?  Did 
not  those  imperial  ladies  receive  their  own  grandees,  sitting  be- 
hind a  screen,  and  placing  the  puppet  emperor  in  front?  Why 
should  they  not  do  the  same  with  ambassadors  from  the  West? 
Had  those  ambassadors  insisted  on  carrying  the  usages  of 
Europe  into  the  most  august  palace  of  the  Eastern  world,  that 
would  have  done  more  than  many  battles  to  impress  the  native 
mind.  Miglit  it  not  have  done  something  to  emancipate  the. 
natives  from  a  ritual  that  bars  the  way  of  progress?  I  have 
heard  Chinese  ministers  complain  that  the  audience  ceremony 
places  such  a  gulf  between  sovereign  and  sul)ject  as  to  render 
a  profitable  interchange  of  thought  out  of  the  question.  They 
feel  the  burden,  but  not  the  opprobrium  of  it,  though  Japan  and 
Siam  have  both  abolislied  it  as  derogatorv  to  human  dignity. 
As  soon  as  the  Emperor  Tungcliih  was  proclaimed  of 
age,  and  when  the  regents  retired  from  behind  the  screen  into 
the  privacv  of  tlie  inner  court,  a  second  a[)plication  was  made 
by  tlie  envoys  for  permission  to  present  their  credentials.  A 
flutter  of  excitement  was  percei)tible  in  the  Tsungli  Yamen, 
gra\-e  and  imperturl)al)le  as  that  body  ordinarilv  is;  and  in 
the  legations  nothing  was  talked  of  but  the  ceremonial  of  the 
c(jniing  audience.  The  vague  proviso  in  the  treaties,  that 
ndthitig  derogatory  to  the  dignity  of  their  countries  should  ])e 
re(iuired  of  the  envoys,  left  a  broad  margin  for  disagreement, 


SIR    T.  IVADE  AND    THE  AUDIEXCE    QUESTION  435 

and  it  became  a  capital  point  for  China  to  secure  as  much  as 
possible  in  the  way  of  demonstrations  of  reverence.  The  prime 
minister,  Wensiang,  sent  for  me,  and,  after  talking  over  the 
matter,  expressed  a  wish  to  invite  one  of  the  foreign  ministers 
to  his  own  house  for  a  private  interview  —  a  thing  never  thought 
of  until;  this  critical  question  came  up.  He  asked  me  to  sug- 
gest a  candidate  for  that  honor,  and  I  named  Sir  Thomas 
Wade,  not  merely  as  representing  the  nation  that  had  always 
taken  the  lead  in  Chinese  affairs,  but  as  the  only  one  who 
could  speak  without  an  interpreter.  Another  member  of  the 
Yamen,  Chenglin,  vice-governor  of  Peking,  met  INIr.  Low,  the 
Americaia  minister,  at  my  house  for  the  discussion  of  the  same 
subject.  He  had  been  promoted,  as  he  told  me,  with  unex- 
ampled rapidity,  and  enjoyed  the  favor  of  the  young  emperor 
to  such  a  degree  that  he  thought  he  would  be  able  to  secure 
his  Majesty's  assent  to  any  reasonable  settlement  of  the  ques- 
tion. The  thing  most  devoutly  desired  was  to  deter  the  foreign 
ministers  from  persisting  in  their  demand.  This  not  succeed- 
ing, the  next  move  was  to  persuade  them  to  accept  as  the  place 
for  the  audience  a  spacious  summer-house  in  a  park  outside 
of  the  palace  proper.  In  lieu  of  kneeling,  it  was  agreed  that 
the  emperor  should  be  content  with  three  low  bows.  In  the 
foreign  community  a  rumor  got  abroad  that  the  envoys  would 
appear  without  boots — some  wag  having  stated  that  they 
would  see  the  emperor  with  Butzow  (pronounced  boots  off),  a 
Russian  minister,  who  arrived  just  in  time  for  the  occasion. 
The  fact  that  Sir  Douglas  Forsyth  had  actually  drawn  his 
boots,  in  audience  with  the  King  of  Burmah,  lent  color  to  the 
joke.  Other  details  are  of  no  importance  —  save  that  the  Chi- 
nese were  somewhat  disgusted  with  our  republican  simplicity 
when  they  saw  other  ministers  glittering  in  gold  and  lace,  and 
the  American  in  plain  black,  without  a  star  or  spangle. 

So  apprehensive  was   Sir  Thomas  Wade  that  the  Chinese 
would  report  that  the  koto  had  been  performed,  as  they  do 


43^  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

in  the  case  of  Lord  McCartney,  that  he  drew  up  in  Chinese  a 
minute  account  of  all  that  occurred,  and  handed  it  to  me  for 
publication  in  the  Peking  "  Magazine,"  of  which  I  had  the  edi- 
torial oversight.  The  magazine  was  read  by  the  Chinese  min- 
isters, and  as  his  statement  was  allowed  to  pass  unchallenged, 
it  acquired  the  weight  of  an  undisputed  authority.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  the  magazine,  the  Chinese  people  will  persist  in  believ- 
ing that  the  koto  was  performed.  Nor  is  it  unlikely  that  they 
will  cleave  to  the  tradition  of  the  awful  fate  that  overtook  Sir 
Thomas,  when  he  was  struck  by  the  "  wrath-beam  "  from  the 
dragon  throne. 

The  emperor  dying  not  long  after  this,  another  infant  was 
placed  on  the  throne,  and  the  dowager  empresses  took  their 
seat  behind  a  screen  as  in  the  previous  reign.  The  reception 
of  envoys  was  accordingly  again  postponed  for  fifteen  years. 
In  the  meantime  the  diplomatic  corps  had  made  a  discovery 
— not  that  the  "pavilion  of  purple  light"  was  outside  of  the 
palace  proper,  but  that  it  had  been  used  for  the  reception  of 
vassals.  When  the  time  came  for  congratulating  the  new  em- 
peror on  his  accession  to  power,  they  objected  to  the  place  as 
unsuitable,  but  consented  to  appear  there  once,  on  being  as- 
sured that  a  new  hall  should  be  provided  for  the  next  occasion. 
The  "new  hall"  proved  to  be  much  older  than  the  old  one, 
equally  remote  from  the  real  palace,  and  situated  in  another 
division  of  the  same  park.  It  was  found,  moreover,  to  have 
a  tainted  history. 

Pleased  with  the  novelty  of  the  first  audience,  and  desirous 
of  airing  his  English,  the  emperor  ordered  that  a  reception  of 
envoys  should  take  [)lace  annually  at  the  Xew-Year  holidavs. 
To  his  surprise  and  mortification,  they  declined  the  honor.  Xo 
New-Year's  reception  took  place ;  but  some  foreign  ministers, 
on  their  arrival  and  departure,  allowed  themselves  to  be  re- 
ceived in  that  objectionable  building,  much  to  the  dissatisfac- 
tion of  their  colleagues.      France  and  Russia  held  totrether  in 


SIR    T.  WADE  AND    THE  AUDIENCE    QUESTION  437 

refusing  any  concession  on  that  point,  and  their  persistency 
has  at  length  been  rewarded.  The  gates  of  the  "  Forbidden 
City"  liave  rolled  back  to  admit  envoys  from  the  West  for 
the  first  time  in  a  century.  But  would  they  have  opened  if 
the  artillery  of  Japan  had  not  been  thundering  at  the  outer 
defenses  of  the  empire?  Here  is  a  concise  account  of  that 
imposing  function  by  one  who  participated : 

"  The  audience  took  place  on  Monday  last  at  the  Imperial 
Palace.  The  ministers  entered  by  the  eastern  door,  or  Tung- 
an-men,  where  two  secretaries  of  the  Tsungli  Yamen  received 
them,  and  conducted  them  to  a  large  hall  in  the  center  of  two 
pavihoRS,  where  the  principal  ministers  of  state  were  assem- 
bled. Thence  they  were  taken  along  a  raised  causeway,  each 
minister  conducted  by  a  prince,  to  the  throne-room,  or  hall, 
where  the  emperor  was  seated  on  a  throne  placed  on  a  dais 
raised  five  steps  above  the  floor.  Before  the  emperor  was 
placed  a  table  covered  with  yellow  cloth.  The  hall  was  draped 
with  rose  silk  hangings,  relieved  with  yellow  cords,  and  deco- 
rated with  large  chafing-dishes  and  incense  burners  in  cloisonne 
work.  The  speech  of  each  minister,  after  being  read  by  him, 
was  translated  into  Chinese  by  an  interpreter;  then  Prince 
Kung  ascended  to  the  foot  of  the  imperial  throne,  and,  kneel- 
ing, translated  it  to  the  emperor  in  the  Manchu  tongue.  At 
the  back  of  the  imperial  throne  was  hung  a  large  silk  curtain, 
decorated  with  peacock's  feathers,  behind  which  the  empress 
dowager  was  placed  so  as  to  be  able  to  see  and  hear  what  took 
place  without  being  seen.  The  emperor  is  pale,  with  pleasant 
features  and  eyes  of  sparkling  brilliancy.  Behind  the  hall  of 
audience  were  placed  a  body  of  troops.  Everything  was  in 
perfect  order  and  spotlessly  clean.  The  reception  took  place 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  profound  silence,  which  added  to  the 
grandeur  and  solemnity  of  the  ceremony."  * 

Very  amusing  is  the  notice  in  the  "  Court  Gazette  " :  '^  The 

*  "  Peking  and  Tientsin  Times,"  November  17,  1894. 


438  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

following  ministers  were  received  in  audience  by  his  Majesty 
in  the  HaU  of  Literary  Glory,  viz.,  American,  Russian,  English, 
French,  Belgian,  Swedish,  and  the  aciifig  viiiiistcr  for  JapaiiT 

As  no  allusion  is  made  to  any  deviation  from  the  prescribed 
ritual,  no  Chinese  reader  would  doubt  that  each  of  those  en- 
voys performed  the  full  tale  of  prostrations ;  nor  would  it  enter 
his  head  to  account  for  the  presence  of  a  Japanese  during  the 
war  otherwise  than  as  sohciting  pardon  for  the  "  rebellious  " 
conduct  of  his  countrymen.  How  should  he  know  that  neither 
Japanese  nor  Swede  was  present,  and  that  both  were  personi- 
fications of  functions  exercised  by  the  minister  of  the  United 
States? 

This  is  all  tliat  has  been  gained  in  the  way  of  access  to  the 
court  after  a  struggle  of  over  forty  years,  dating  from  the  at- 
tempt of  Bowring  and  MacLane  to  reach  Peking  in  1854  — 
this  solemn  entry  and  solemn  withdrawal!  If  it  were  to  stop 
there,  what  would  it  be  worth  ?  Native  officials  are  received 
in  a  different  hall,  and  with  different  ceremonies ;  nor  is  there 
any  approach  to  a  commingling  of  the  two  streams.  Had  Lord 
P^lgin  stipulated  that  the  British  ministers  should  be  received 
in  the  Hall  of  Great  Harmony  (a  step  w^hich  Sir  Thomas 
Wade,  as  Chinese  secretary,  most  probably  recommended), 
and  had  his  successors  not  waived  their  claim  to  audience  on 
the  absurd  plea  of  a  female  regency,  the  influence  of  example 
and  habit  must  have  borne  fruit.  Might  we  not  have  seen,  as 
we  have  seen  in  Japan,  the  abolition  of  the  koto,  and  tlie  ex- 
tention  to  our  envoys  of  all  those  courtesies  which  Chinese 
ministers  receive  at  the  courts  of  pAirope?  Thanks  to  this  two- 
fold blunder,  the  Chinese  have  succeeded  in  turning  the  edge 
of  an  innovation  which  they  were  powerless  to  j)revent. 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE   MISSIONARY   QUESTION 

Retrospect — The  age  of  persecution — Toleration  by  edict — Religious 
liberty  by  treaty — Right  of  residence  in  the  interior — The  French 
protectorate  of  Roman  Catholic  missions — The  recent  riots :  their 
cause  and  cure — The  outlook 

FOR  the  Chinese  government  this  means,  How  may  we  min- 
imize the  inconveniences  arising  from  the  operations  of  mis- 
sionaries? For  a  party  among  officials  and  people  it  means, 
How  may  we  get  rid  of  them  altogether?  For  the  representa- 
tives of  Christian  powers  it  means,  How  far  are  we  bound  by 
policy  or  duty  to  interfere  for  the  protection  of  missionaries 
and  their  converts?  \\'ith  missionaries  and  their  supporters 
it  takes  the  form,  How  can  we  accomplish  the  greatest  results 
with  the  means  at  our  disposal? 

The  historv  of  modern  missions  *  in  China  opens  with  the 
arrival  of  the  learned  Jesuit,  Father  Ricci,  and  his  associates, 
who  commenced  their  adventurous  crusade  in  1582.  Difficul- 
ties apparently  insuperable  gave  way  before  their  learning,  tact, 

*  Christianity  was  introduced  into  the  northwest  provinces  in  the 
seventh  century  by  Nestorians  from  Persia.  Received  with  favor  at 
Singanfu,  where  the  court  then  was,  their  churches  flourished  for  a  time. 
But  their  religion  was  of  a  low  type,  and  they  gradually  disappeared  like 
a  river  in  the  desert,  leaving  nothing  Init  a  stone  to  tell  of  their  existence. 

In  the  thirteenth  century,  when  the  Mongols  had  possession,  mission- 
aries from  Ixome  came  by  land  to  Peking,  and  met  with  some  success  ;  but 
their  mission  was  discontinued,  and  left  no  trace  behind, 

439 


440  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

and  apostolic  zeal.  During  the  following  century  Christianity 
struck  its  roots  deep  in  the  soil  of  the  empire.  There  was  even 
a  prospect  that  the  great  emperor  Kanghi  would  adopt  the  new 
faith. 

Their  successes,  however,  aroused  opposition  ;  their  conflicts 
with  the  Dominicans,  who  came  in  as  a  disturbing  element, 
lowered  their  prestige  ;  and  the  action  of  the  pope  in  condemn- 
ing Shangti,  the  God  worshiped  by  the  sages  of  China,  and 
forbidding  the  worship  of  ancestors,  which  they  had  made  the 
foundation  of  social  order,  alienated  both  princes  and  people. 
In  1724  the  missionaries  were  banished,  and  their  converts 
sent  into  exile.  The  little  communities  scattered  throughout 
the  vast  interior  owed  their  preservation  then,  as  they  may 
again,  to  a  want  of  concert  among  mandarins  in  enforcing  the 
prohibitory  laws.  In  China,  as  in  the  Roman  empire,  perse- 
cution raged  in  one  province,  while  Christians  were  unmolested 
in  another.  For  a  century  and  a  quarter  the  supreme  power 
showed  no  disposition  to  revoke  its  prohibitory  enactments, 
and  from  time  to  time  they  were  put  into  spasmodic  execution. 
At  the  close  of  the  opium  war  a  good  many  of  the  faithful  were 
still  in  exile. 

During  all  this  time  a  few  missionaries  were  able  to  conceal 
themselves  in  Christian  villages,  whither  they  penetrated  at  the 
risk  of  life,  that  they  might  comfort  and  sustain  their  persecuted 
brethren.  After  the  signing  of  the  French  treaty,  in  1844,  the 
exiles  were  recalled,  and  the  ban  of  prohibition  removed. 
This  was  done,  not  as  a  matter  of  obligation,  but  as  an  act  of 
grace,  by  special  edict,  issued  at  the  request  of  the  French 
mim'ster.  At  the  request  of  the  British  minister  the  edict  was 
so  construed  as  to  extend  the  same  immunities  to  the  Protestant 
form  of  faith.  To  France  belongs  tlie  honor  of  inaugurating 
the  new  era  of  religious  freedom.  The  ICnglish,  whose  guns 
had  i^rostrated  the  barriers  in  the  way  of  commerce,  in  making 
their  treaty,  two  years  earlier,  thought  of  nothing  but  trade. 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  44 1 

It  might  not,  indeed,  have  been  expedient  to  demand  absolute 
freedom  of  reh'gion,  but  why  did  they  not  remember  those 
brave  missionaries  and  their  faithful  adherents  in  the  hour  of 
victory?  The  raising  of  a  finger  would  have  been  sufficient  to 
remove  from  them  the  sword  of  Damocles,  and  to  shed  a  httle 
glory  on  an  inglorious  war. 

This  was  the  first  stage  in  the  way  of  enfranchisement. 
Under  its  provisions  missionaries  enjoyed  no  small  privileges, 
though  they  were  still  of  the  nature  of  uncovenanted  mercies. 
Protestants  established  themselves  in  the  five  ports,  from  which 
they  were  able  to  make  long  journeys  inland,  though  nominally 
restricted  to  a  radius  of  twenty  miles,  while  Catholics  remained 
in  all  the  provinces  without  molestation. 

For  the  "  Arrow  "  war  it  was  reserved  to  open  the  next  stage, 
amounting  to  a  complete  immunity  from  all  disabilities  under 
guarantee  of  treaty  stipulation.  This  was  required  by  the  cur- 
rent of  missionary  effort,  which  had  set  strongly  in  the  direction 
of  China  ;  and  the  men  charged  with  the  negotiations  of  1858 
were  either  in  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  missions,  or  of  mental 
breadth  to  perceive  that  no  settlement  could  be  satisfactory 
that  would  leave  them  to  the  caprice  of  emperors  or  manda- 
rins. It  was  a  sublime  spectacle — the  great  powers  of  the 
earth  sinking  their  differences  of  creed,  and  joining  their  shields 
to  protect  the  church  of  Christ.  China  found  it  to  her  inter- 
est not  to  reject  their  demands.  Again  it  was  to  France  that 
Christian  missions  were  indebted  for  a  signal  extension  of  their 
privileges,  though  the  manner  in  which  it  was  obtained  is  open 
to  the  charge  of  being  even  more  equivocal  than  the  ordinary 
proceedings  of  diplomacy.  A  discrepancy  is  found  to  exist 
between  the  two  texts  of  the  French  treaty.  The  Chinese  con- 
tains a  clause  securing  to  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  the 
right  of  buying  land  and  building  houses  in  the  interior,  though 
the  French  text  has  nothing  of  the  kind.  By  whom  the  attention 
of  the  Chinese  authorities  was  first  drawn  to  this  disacfreement 


442  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

I  know  not,  but  when,  twenty-five  or  twenty-six  j-ears  ago,  I 
was  asked  to  translate  the  article  for  comparison,  I  supposed 
that  the  Tsungli  Yamen  intended  to  disallow  such  privileges  as 
were  based  on  that  interpolation,  the  French  text  being  declared 
authoritative  on  points  of  difference.  To  this  day,  however, 
they  have  never  taken  a  step  in  that  direction,  for  the  obvious 
reason  that,  the  interpolation  being  in  Chinese,  there  was  no 
ground  to  complain  that  they  had  been  hoodwinked.  Nor 
have  they  shown  any  disposition  to  withhold  from  Protestants 
what  they  conceded  to  Catholics.  Missionaries  of  both  con- 
fessions are  allowed  to  erect  permanent  establishments  wherever 
local  opposition  does  not  prevent  their  doing  so.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  a  local  magistrate,  when  asked  by  American  or  English 
missionaries  to  ratify  a  purchase  in  the  interior,  objects  that 
nothing  of  the  kind  is  provided  for  in  their  treaties.  But  that 
is  ignorance  or  perversity  on  the  part  of  the  mandarin,  not  an 
authoritative  interpretation  of  treaty  rights.  For  on  appeal  to 
Peking,  the  Tsungli  Yamen  always  admits  the  force  of  the, 
"favored  nation  clause."  That  precious  little  clause  is  the 
lever  of  a  canal-lock,  wliich  causes  the  water  from  higher 
grounds  to  flow  into  our  own  emptv  basin.  It  entitles  us  to 
all  the  advantages  conceded  to  the  English  or  French,  since 
our  treaty  was  signed  a  few  days  in  advance  of  theirs.  If  any 
o!ie  regrets  that  pri\-ileges  of  such  importance  should  be  purelv 
derivative  (there  are  missionaries  wlio  wr)ul(l  have  our  treatv 
revised  on  tliat  account),  let  him  reflect  tliat  the  na\'igation  of 
tlie  Yang-tse-Kiang,  the  establishment  of  a  legation  at  Peking, 
and  access  to  iTalf  the  ports  of  trade  are  also  (lerivati\"e.  Xo 
diplomatist  woukl  think  it  wise  to  inc  hide  llieni  in  a  new  con- 
vention, Ijccause,  in  that  case,  thev  would  liave  to  be  paid  for 
by  cf)ncessions  on  our  i)art,  wliereas  at  j)resent  we  get  them 
gratis. 

The  local   o])[)osition,  which   frequentlv  uitcrfcres  with  the 
exercise  of  these  rights,  originates  mostly  with  the  mandarins; 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  443 

and  the  French  minister,  M.  Berthemy,  supposed  he  had 
drawn  its  teeth  when,  in  1865,  he  obtained  a  convention  mak- 
ing it  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the  officials  prior  to  the  conclu- 
sion of  a  purchase.  In  yielding  to  his  wishes,  and  defining  the 
manner  in  which  missionaries  should  exercise  rights  resting  on 
that  interpolated  clause,  the  Yamen  put  to  rest  all  questions  as 
to  its  validity.  For  some  reason  that  convention  was  allowed 
to  slumber  for  thirty  years:  M.  Gerard,  the  present  represen- 
tative of  France,  has  just  succeeded  in  bringing  it  to  life,  and 
the  American  minister  will  no  doubt  help  him  to  keep  it  awake. 
In  a  despatch  to  our  consul-general  at  Shanghai,  explaining 
its  application  to  the  case  of  our  own  missionaries.  Colonel 
Denby  says :  "  There  will,  of  course,  be  no  question  as  to  the 
propriety  of  doing  away  with  the  requirement  that  the  con- 
sent of  the  local  authorities  must  be  obtained  before  the  sale 
is  made." 

A  favorite  mode  of  nipping  new  missions  in  the  bud  has  been 
for  the  local  officials  to  refuse  consent,  and  apply  the  bamboo 
to  all  persons  concerned  in  a  sale.  Hereafter  such  proceed- 
ings will  not  be  so  frequent,  but  no  one  who  knows  China 
imagines  that  they  will  cease. 

France,  it  is  known,  arrogates  to  herself  a  protectorate  over 
Catholic  missions  in  China  as  well  as  in  Turkey.  Of  late  the 
representatives  of  Germany  and  Italy  have  manifested  a  dis- 
position to  contest  that  pretension,  at  least  so  far  as  missions 
of  their  own  nationality  are  concerned.  Efforts  have  also  been 
made  to  open  direct  relations  between  the  empire  and  the 
Holy  See,  the  latter  replacing  France  in  taking  cognizance  of 
the  claims  and  grievances  of  its  adherents.  But,  wanting  the 
force  to  prosecute  the  one  or  redress  the  other,  it  is  not  likely 
that  the  pope  would  consent  to  assume  the  guardianship  of 
his  own  flock  unless  he  could  appeal,  in  case  of  need,  to  the 
sword  of  some  power  strong  enough  to  enforce  his  demands. 
China,  for  her  part,  would  welcome  a  papal  representative,  if 


444  A.   CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

by  that  means  she  might  eh'minate  the  French  element  from 
church  questions — not  otherwise.  It  will  not  be  for  the  inter- 
est of  Catholic  missions  to  have  a  nuncio,  legate,  or  ablegate 
supersede  the  French  minister  in  the  relation  which  he  now 
sustains  toward  them,  until  the  Chinese  government  decides  to 
foster  instead  of  checking  the  spread  of  the  Christian  faith. 

The  direct  representation  of  the  Vatican,  though  much 
mooted  of  late,  is  not  a  new  idea.  It  was  mentioned  to  me 
more  than  twenty  years  ago  by  a  French  minister  in  Peking, 
with  a  view  to  finding  out  how  such  a  proposal  would  be  re- 
ceived by  the  Chinese  government.  He  was  himself  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  measure,  thinking  that  it  would  save  the  French 
legation  a  world  of  trouble,  while,  at  the  same  time,  it  would 
augment  the  prestige  of  the  church.  His  sentiments  were  an 
echo  of  those  of  the  home  government,  which  at  that  time  was 
violently  antipapal  in  its  general  tendencies. 

In  1 88 1  I  listened  to  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  relations  of 
church  and  state,  delivered  in  the  Co/h^r  de  FriDicc  by  the  elo- 
quent Professor  Adolphe  P>ancke.  One  was  on  the  relations 
of  the  government  to  Christian  missions.  Well  do  I  remem- 
ber the  impassioned  earnestness  with  which  he  denounced  the 
proposal  to  abolish  the  concordat  and  cut  the  missions  adrift. 
After  setting  forth  the  advantages  which  France  derived  from 
her  sacred  charge,  he  concluded  with  a  most  impressi\-e  per- 
oration, in  which  he  declared  that  "  if  France  could  be  mad 
enough  to  abdicate  that  post  of  influence  and  honor,  Protes- 
tant Cerinaiiy  stood  ready  to  take  her  j)lace  as  protectress  of 
Catholic  missions." 

Since  tliat  day  a  change  has  taken  place  in  the  sentiments 
of  French  officials.  Their  protectorate  of  missions  will  not  be 
surrendered  as  long  as  a  j)rete\t  can  l)e  found  for  holding  on 
to  it.  If  the  mandarins  of  China  desire  France  to  relax  her 
grasp  on  ilic  millic)n  or  so  of  Catholic  converts,  their  tactics 
are  as  much  at  fault  as  were  those  of  the  North  ^Vind  when  he 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  445 

tried  to  force  a  traveler  to  take  ofif  his  cloak  by  blowing  one 
of  liis  fiercest  blasts.  What  could  the  traveler  do  but  wrap  it 
more  tightly  about  him? 

If  the  hrst  stage  in  the  recent  history  of  missions  was  their 
toleration  by  edict,  and  the  second  the  recognition  of  their 
legal  status  by  treaty  compact,  the  systematic  attempt  to  crush 
them  out  by  mob  violence  may  be  regarded  as  a  third  stage. 
On  this  phase  they  entered  in  June,  1870,  when  a  Cathohc 
mission  in  Tientsin  was  destroyed,  and  sisters,  priests,  and  a 
French  consul  were  murdered  by  the  populace,  led  on  by  an 
ex-general  of  the  Chinese  army.  The  minds  of  the  people  had 
been  prepared  by  the  dissemination  of  false  rumors,  and  when 
they  were  wrought  up  to  the  required  point  the  mandarins 
stood  aloof  and  allowed  the  storm  to  take  its  course.  Since 
that  date  there  have  been  twenty  or  more  anti-foreign — not 
altogether  anti-mission — riots  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  be 
visible  across  the  seas ;  culminating  this  year  in  the  expulsion 
of  missionaries  from  the  capital  of  Szechuen,  and  the  mas- 
sacre at  Kucheng,  near  Fuchau.  Most  of  these  have  con- 
formed to  the  original  type  in  every  particular — beginning 
with  tracts  and  placards  as  their  exciting  cause,  followed  by 
studied  negligence  on  the  part  of  mandarins  (wlio  always  con- 
trived to  come  too  late  when  their  aid  was  invoked),  and  fin- 
ishing with  an  inquiry  how  many  heads  and  how  much  money 
would  satisfy  the  resulting  claims. 

If,  in  1870.  the  French  charge,  declining  the  offer  of  money 
and  heads,  had  waited  until  he  could  have  a  fleet  of  gunboats 
in  the  Peiho.  if  then  the  whole  suburb  where  the  riot  occurred 
had  been  laid  in  ashes,  and  the  ground  confiscated  for  a 
French  concession,  the  government  would  have  taken  care 
that  there  should  not  be  a  second  riot.  Being  let  off  cheap, 
the  anti-foreign  mandarins  felt  that  they  could  afford  to  con- 
tinue the  process  of  fanning  the  flame  of  patriotism.  These 
occurrences  have  created  an  impression  on  the  mind  of  a  pub- 


446  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

lie  not  very  well  informed  on  the  subject  of  missions,  that  for 
our  government  to  back  up  the  missionaries  by  affording  pro- 
tection or  exacting  redress  is  equivalent  to  forcing  our  religion 
on  an  unwilling  people.  But  is  it  forcing  our  religion  on  the 
Chinese  to  protect  our  missionaries  any  more  than  it  is  forcing 
our  commerce  on  them  to  protect  our  merchants?  No  duty 
is  plainer  than  that  of  requiring  the  government  of  China  to 
provide  for  the  security  of  our  mercantile  establishments,  aiul 
to  leave  the  people  free  to  buy  or  sell  as  they  may  choose. 
I'he  missionary  asks  the  same,  and  no  more. 

But  a?'e  the  people  unwilling  to  have  missionaries  live 
among  them?  If  they  were  we  should  have  had  to  count 
many  more  than  twenty  riots  during  this  quarter  of  a  century. 
Their  increase  has  not  kept  pace  witli  the  growth  of  the  mis- 
sionary work.  One  a  year  in  a  country  of  such  vast  e.xtent,  and 
with  a  missionary  force  of  over  two  thousand,  is  no  proof  of 
popular  ill-will,  but  ratlier  the  reverse. 

The  impression  made  by  these  riots  is  the  more  profound,  as, 
in  addition  to  sporadic  maTufestations,  they  occasionally  burst 
forth  with  the  virulence  of  an  epidemic.  The  study  of  these 
epidemics  will  show'  the  nature  of  the  disease.  In  1891  four 
such  outbreaks  occurred.  They  were  all  on  the  l^anks  of  the 
Yang-tse,  and  all  at  ports  of  trade,  nor  were  they,  save  in  one 
instance,  specially  aimed  at  missionaries.  Of  the  hundreds 
of  missionaries  living  away  from  the  river,  scarcely  one  was 
molested.  It  is  morally  certain  that,  among  the  mixed  motives 
of  the  excited  masses,  the  diversion  of  the  carrying  trade  from 
native  junks  to  foreign  steamers  was  at  the  bottom  of  the 
movement.  On  the  Upper  Yang-tsc,  where  two  of  the  riots 
occurred,  so  strong  was  tlie  ()p])()siti<)n  to  steamers  ascending 
the  rapids  tliat  the  IJritisIi  minister  felt  constrained  to  wai\'e  tlie 
exercise  of  that  riglit.  Xo  special  effort  wnsmade  to  keep  mis- 
sionaries out  of  riuuigkuig,  l»nt  the  mandarins  moved  heaven 
and  earth  to  pre\"ent  tlie  coming  of  ihe  steamer  "  Ruling." 


THE  MISSIOXARY  QUESTIOX  if\.1 

A  few  years  ago  a  liindu  soldier  on  guard  at  the  British 
consulate  at  Chinkiang  struck  a  Chinaman.  la  half  an  hour 
all  the  foreign  houses  in  the  settlement  were  laid  in  ashes.  At 
Canton  a  foreign  tide-waiter  in  the  customs  service  shot  a 
boy  by  accident.  A  furious  attack  was  made  on  the  foreign 
quarter,  which  narrowly  escaped  destruction.  At  Ichang,  in 
1895,  a  shot  from  an  air-gun  striking  a  small  official,  the  popu- 
lace threw  themselves  on  the  handful  of  foreigners,  and  a 
massacre  would  have  ensued  but  for  the  opportune  arrival  of  a 
force  from  a  gunboat.  These  instances  (and  such  are  numer- 
ous) suffice  to  show  what  fires  are  burning  beneath  a  thin  crust 
of  cold  lava,  and  to  prove  that  if  missionaries  are  attacked 
oftener  than  others  it  is  chiefly  because  they  are  more  exposed. 

For  the  recent  cases  of  outrage  the  w^ar  with  Japan  is  in  part 
responsible.  In  Manchuria  the  soldiers  who  murdered  Wylie 
looked  on  all  foreigners  as  abettors  of  the  Japanese.  In  Sze- 
chuen  this  placard  was  posted:  "At  the  present  time,  when 
Japan  has  seized  Chinese  territory,  you  English,  French,  and 
Americans  have  looked  on  with  folded  hands.  If  you  wish  to 
preach  your  doctrines  in  China  you  must  lirst  drive  the  Japa- 
nese back  into  their  own  country."  We  shall  see  that  other 
passions  were  appealed  to  by  the  mandarins.  At  Kucheng, 
opposite  the  island  of  Formosa,  the  same  motive  was  doubtless 
present  as  a  preparatory'  influence,  though  the  Vegetarians — a 
secret  society,  half  robber,  half  rebel — murdered  the  mission- 
aries in  revenge  for  their  attempts  to  bring  them  to  justice  for 
robbing  native  Christians.  Unlike  Hindu  or  Mohammedan, 
the  ordinary  Chinese  is  so  far  from  fanaticism  that  he  appears 
to  be  almost  destitute  of  religious  sentiments.  Not  one  attack 
on  missionaries,  that  I  ever  heard  of,  was  made  by  Buddhists, 
I'aoists,  or  any  other  sect,  on  the  ground  of  religious  differ- 
ences. 

The  instigators  of  mobs  are  generally  mandarins'or  members 
of  the  student  class,  who  seek  to  fortify  the  ptiblic  mind  against 


448  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

the  influx  of  foreign  ideas  by  accusing  foreigners  of  horrible 
crimes.  The  most  inflammatory,  though  not  the  most  revolt- 
ing, of  these  accusations  is  that  of  kidnapping  children,  and 
taking  their  eyes,  blood,  and  fat  for  the  preparation  of  magical 
drugs.  Other  forms  of  immorality  are  too  familiar  in  the  ex- 
perience of  the  natives  to  excite  any  very  strong  feeling.  Kid- 
napping, murder,  and  magic  are  required  to  fire  the  loyal 
heart. 

One  of  the  worst  riots  in  1891  was  directly  due  to  the  super- 
stitious belief  that  infants  were  used  for  medicine.  At  Wusui 
the  people  were  aroused  to  sudden  fury  by  seeing  four  children 
in  a  basket  on  their  way  to  a  foundling  hospital.  The  same 
superstition  was  adroitly  employed  to  foment  the  recent  riots 
in  Szechuen.  Here  is  an  account  of  their  origin,  given  by 
the  viceroy  by  whom  they  are  believed  to  have  been  organized. 

"'  They  found,"  he  says,  "  two  children  inside,  in  cages,  in  a 
state  of  suspended  animation.  They  were  taken  to  the  office 
of  a  magistrate,  and  skilful  doctors  called  in,  who  found  in 
their  nostrils  some  kind  of  black  drug,  which  was  the  cause  of 
their  insensibility.  When  restored  to  consciousness  the  chil- 
dren related  how  they  had  been  kidnapped  by  a  foreigner,  who 
administered  the  drug,  but  they  knew  no  more.  Upon  this 
dreadful  crime  being  brought  to  light  the  people  were  fired 
with  indignation,"  etc. 

What  must  we  think  of  a  government  which,  after  receiving 
this  shameful  document,  fixed  on  its  author  as  the  fittest  person 
to  find  out  and  to  punish  the  guilty?  It  is  only  fair  to  state 
that  the  government  received  new  light,  and  stripped  him  of 
all  his  honors,  as  soon  as  the  British  squadron  began  to  steam 
tfnvard  Nanking. 

One  of  the  anti-foreign  tracts  most  widelv  circulated  was 
leveled  at  opium.  It  purported  to  be  the  statement  of  a  native 
of  Amoy  —  a  ])hysician,  who  had  l)een  kidnapped  and  carried 
to  a  foreign  country.      He  saw  his  companions  led  out  from 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  449 

day  to  day  to  have  their  blood  drawn  off  for  use  in  the  manu- 
facture of  opium,  but  before  it  came  to  his  turn  he  contrived 
to  escape.  If  the  leading  motive  for  this  absurd  fiction  was  to 
deter  Chinese  from  the  use  of  the  drug,  is  it  not  plain  that  the 
secondary  aim  was  to  inspire  them  with  a  hatred  of  foreign- 
ers? "The  Chinese  themselves,"  says  Mr.  Henry  Norman, 
"  bracket  opium  and  missionaries  together  as  the  twin  curses 
of  the  country."  If  by  "  Chinese  "  he  means  the  people  gen- 
erally, the  statement  is  incorrect ;  for  the  testimony  of  mission- 
aries is  uniform  that  the  common  people  are  well  disposed 
until  they  are  stirred  up  by  members  of  the  official  classes.  It 
is  true,  however,  or  rather  was  true,  of  some  of  the  rulers  of 
China.  I  recall  the  very  day  when  the  now  famous  mot  was 
coined.  I  was  dining  with  Sir  Rutherford  Alcock  on  the  eve 
of  his  departure  from  Peking,  in  1869.  "What  do  you  think 
Prince  Kung  said  to  me  when  I  was  taking  leave?"  he  asked; 
and  then  added,  in  a  tone  of  mild  banter,  "  He  said  that  he 
wished  I  would  take  away  with  me  both  opium  and  mission- 
aries." Well  might  the  prince  connect  them  together  as  the 
source  of  China's  woes.  For  did  not  opium  bring  on  the  first 
war  with  England?  Was  it  not  to  avenge  a  missionary  killed 
in  Kwangsi  that  the  French  army  came  to  Peking  in  i860? 
And  might  not  other  armies  come  to  avenge  the  slaughter  of 
other  missionaries? 

A  prominent  official,  who  had  been  chancellor  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Yunnan,  once  came  to  me  with  a  plan  for  preventing 
anti- Christian  riots,  which  he  wished  me  to  lay  before  the 
Tsungli  Yamen  and  bring  to  the  notice  of  the  foreign  envoys. 
It  consisted  of  four  rules,  as  follows : 

"  I,  That  the  rescue  and  rearing  of  foundlings  be  left  to  the 
Chinese  authorities,  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  stories  of  boiling 
and  eating  infants. 

"  2.  That  the  daughters  of  native  Christians  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  become  nuns,  nor  missionaries  be  permitted  to 


45°  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

lodge  in  the  families  of  native  Christians,  in  order  to  remove 
suspicions  of  immorality. 

"3.  Missionaries  shall  take  no  part  in  the  celebration  of 
funerals,  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  stories  of  ih^ir  pluckitig  out 
the  eyes  of  the  dead. 

"  4.  Women  shall  not  attend  public  worship  along  with  men, 
in  order  to  remove  the  reproach  of  indecent  promiscuity .'' 

I  refrained  from  telling  my  distinguished  visitor  that  his 
plan  was  absurd,  but  I  gave  him  no  encoiu-agement  to  expect 
that  any  one  of  his  rules  would  be  seriously  considered.  He 
left  me  a  copy,  and  I  have  kept  it  as  a  specimen  of  the  stock 
charges  made  use  of  to  excite  the  imagination  of  an  ignorant 
rabble.  Some  of  those  calumnies  originally  grew  out  of  the 
peculiar  constitution  and  methods  of  Roman  CathoHc  missions ; 
but  when  Protestants  came  on  the  stage  the  same  charges  were 
leveled  at  them,  and  riots  are  distributed  between  the  two  con- 
fessions pretty  impartially.  In  Chengtu  it  was  at  a  Protestant 
mission  that  the  rioting  began.  There  is  no  comfort  in  mutual 
recrimination,  and  you  seldom  hear  one  party  reproach  the' 
other  for  causing  the  calamity.  "  Nous  sommes  tons  dans  le 
meme  bateau  "  {"  We  are  all  in  the  same  boat  "),  the  excellent 
Father  Favier,  of  Peking,  once  said  to  me.  Protestants  have 
the  advantage  in  greater  publicity.  Neither  can  alter  their 
fundamental  principles,  and  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  pru- 
dence will  always  be  able  to  avoid  occasions  for  the  tongue  of 
slander  or  the  hand  of  violence.  A  chance  spark  will  some- 
times precii)itate  an  explosion  of  this  inflammal)le  gas.  Pow- 
der you  can  see  and  guard  against,  but  the  terrible  "fire-damp" 
that  lurks  in  darkness  is  invisible. 

Last  year  a  lady  engaged  in  medical  work  at  Canton  noticed 
a  coolie,  who  liad  fallen  down  from  a  stroke  of  the  plague  near 
liLT  house,  and  endeavored  to  bring  him  in  for  treatment.  In- 
slantly  she  was  treated  t(;  a  shower  of  stones,  and,  half  dead, 
she  was  rescued  with  great  peril  by  a  gentleman  in  the  cus- 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  451 

toms  service,  A  rumor  had  got  abroad  that  foreigners  were 
spreading  the  plague.  A  Scotch  missionary  at  Amoy,  going  to 
a  country  chapel,  was  followed  by  a  curious  but  good-natured 
crowd.  A  boy  stumbling,  he  stooped  to  pick  him  up,  and 
instantly  the  good-humor  gave  way  to  fury.  The  crowd  set 
upon  him  with  violence,  and  when  he  took  refuge  in  his  chapel, 
they  besieged  the  place,  and  would  have  torn  it  down  but  for 
the  timely  arrival  of  a  magistrate.  Another  missionary,  having 
occupied  a  new  station  near  Peking,  walked  out  on  the  street 
one  morning,  leading  a  little  child  by  the  hand.  That  was  a 
red  rag  for  the  Chinese  bull.  In  five  minutes  he  was  beaten 
almost  to  death.  In  each  of  these  cases,  the  rabble  believed 
the  foreigner  had  bewitched,  or  that  his  touch  would  bewitch, 
the  child.  In  the  latter  case,  the  magistrate  was  induced  by 
the  American  charge  irajfaifrs  to  issue  a  cautionary  proclama- 
tion. The  document,  after  reciting  the  occurrence,  and  giv- 
ing warning  against  doing  anything  to  annoy  the  missionary, 
wound  up  by  expressing  confidence  that  "all  self-respecting 
people  would  refrain  from  going  near  him."  (Who  says  the 
Chinese  are  deficient  in  a  sense  of  humor?)  Study  and  experi- 
ence will,  however,  enable  missionaries  to  diminish  the  num- 
ber of  rocks  of  offense.  It  is  a  good  sign  that  a  conference 
of  missionaries  at  Shanghai  were  recently  discussing  that  sub- 
ject, and  seeking  advice  from  a  Chinese  pastor  of  high  repute 
for  talents  and  piety. 

To  the  missionaries  it  is  a  great  advantage  that  they  can 
appeal  to  an  emphatic  decree  from  the  throne,  issued  m  1891, 
acknowledging  their  right  to  propagate  their  faith,  and  forbid- 
ding anti-Christian  agitation.  The  document  is  valuable  for 
citation  ;  but  the  mandarins  posted  it  in  dark  corners,  if  at  all, 
and  paid  it  very  little  heed,  knowing  that  it  was  not  a  sponta- 
neous expression  of  the  imperial  will.     This  edict  says : 

"The  right  of  foreign  missionaries  to  promulgate  their  re- 
ligion in  China  is  provided  for  by  treaties,  and  by  imperial  de- 


452  A    CYCLE    OF  CATHAY 

crees  which  were  issued  prior  to  those  treaty  stipulations.  The 
authorities  of  all  the  provinces  were  commanded  to  afiford  them 
protection  as  circumstances  might  require. 

"  The  religions  of  the  West  have  for  their  object  the  incul- 
cation of  virtue,  and,  though  our  people  become  converted, 
they  continue  to  be  Chinese  subjects.  There  is  no  reason  why 
there  should  not  be  harmony  between  the  people  and  the  ad- 
herents of  foreign  religions.  The  whole  trouble  arises  from 
lawless  ruffians  fabricating  baseless  stories. 

"  We  command  the  Manchu  generals,  the  viceroys  and  gov- 
ernors everywhere,  to  issue  proclamations  clearly  explaining  to 
the  people  that  they  must  on  no  account  give  ear  to  such  idle 
tales,  and  wantonly  cause  trouble." 

Satisfactory  proclamations  have  been  issued  by  local  manda- 
rins in  sufficient  number  to  show  that  they  are  not  all  opposed 
to  missionaries.     Here  is  one  from  the  prefect  of  Nanking: 

"  The  prefect,  with  the  magistrate  of  the  provincial  capital, 
has  personally  visited  each  church,  and  commanded  the  magis- 
trates of  outside  districts  to  visit  personally  each  mission  sta- 
tion and  talk  with  the  missionaries.  We  have  personally  in- 
spected the  hospitals,  school-houses,  etc.  They  are  for  good 
purposes,  established  with  a  sincere  desire  to  save  men. 
Though  there  are  Chinese  who  take  pleasure  in  doing  good, 
there  are  none  that  excel  these  missionaries.  Let  none  of  you 
invent  false  reports."     (Dated  July  4,  1895.) 

It  gready  enhances  the  value  of  this  testimony  that  it  is  not 
based  on  hearsay.  Besides  secret  inspection  of  the  missions, 
for  that  is  what  is  meant,  the  correspondent  who  forwarded 
this  document  informs  us  that  "  three  weeks  ago  our  district 
magistrate  invited  all  the  men  of  our  missionary  community 
to  a  dinner,  treating  them  with  all  honor."  * 

"  This  proclamation,"  says  the  editor  in  whose  columns  we 

*  Rev.  T.  W.  Houston,  of  Nanking,  in  the  New  York  "  Evangelist," 
Sc|)tenil)cr  12,   1895. 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  453 

find  it,  "  is,  in  fact,  the  most  conclusive  reply  thus  far  made  to 
much  that  passes  for  well-grounded  judgment  as  to  missionary 
work  and  itifluence." 

Have  those  who  say  that  "missionaries  are  a  bad  lot,"  and 
that  "  they  do  more  harm  than  good,"  like  this  Chinese  official, 
taken  the  trouble  to  inform  themselves  by  "personal  inspec- 
tion "?  They  may  have  passed  up  and  down  the  China  coast, 
and  made  certain  inquiries  of  consuls,  merchants,  and  seafar- 
ing men,  but  did  they  visit  chapels,  schools,  and  hospitals,  or 
take  the  trouble  to  ascertain  the  opinions  and  experiences  of 
missionaries?  Colonel  Denby,  the  American  minister  in  China, 
has  done  that,  and  this  is  his  verdict,  contained  in  a  despatch 
to  the  Secretary  of  State,  March  22,  1895.  Speaking  of 
Roman  Catholics  as  well  as  Protestants,  he  says :  "  I  think 
that  no  one  can  controvert  the  patent  fact  that  the  Chinese 
are  enormously  benefited  by  the  labors  of  the  missionaries  in 
their  midst.  I  can  and  do  say  that  the  missionaries  in  China 
are  self-sacrificing  ;  that  their  lives  are  pure  ;  that  they  are  de- 
voted to  their  work  ;  that  the  arts  and  sciences  and  civilization 
are  greatly  spread  by  their  efforts ;  that  they  are  the  leaders 
in  all  charitable  work ;  that  they  do  make  converts,  and  such 
converts  as  are  mentally  benefited  by  conversion." 

This  is  the  judgment  of  an  honest,  able  man,  derived  from 
an  experience  of  ten  years ;  and  it  is  the  more  valuable  as 
Colonel  Denby  went  to  China  with  a  sort  of  prejudice  against 
missionaries  and  their  \vork.  I  was  present  at  a  meeting, 
eight  or  nine  vears  ago,  where  he  made  an  address,  in  which 
he  publicly  recanted,  and  ascribed  the  change  in  his  views  to 
what  he  had  seen  in  visits  to  mission  stations  in  various  parts 
of  China. 

An  important  question  yet  remains,  viz..  What  measure  of 
success  has  been  attained  by  the  missions  in  China?  For 
nearly  thirty  years  I  have  watched  them  from  the  outside, 
having  no  connection  wuth  any  missionary  society  to  bias  my 


454  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

judgment.  I  can  testify  that  they  have  made  progress.  There 
is,  indeed,  no  better  testimony  to  that  fact  than  the  increased 
activity  of  the  opposition.  I  hold  that  the  results  achieved 
afford  good  ground  for  expecting  more  brilliant  results  in 
the  near  future.  Much  of  the  work  done  has  been  of  such 
a  nature  that  its  effect  is  not  visible  on  the  surface.  When 
works  were  going  on  which  resulted  in  the  removal  of  those 
dangerous  rocks  called  Hell  Gate  from  one  of  the  entrances 
to  New  York  harbor,  a  careless  observer  might  have  reported 
that  there  was  nothing  to  show  in  proportion  to  the  expendi- 
ture of  public  funds.  Yet,  deep  down  in  the  water,  the  roots 
of  the  rocks  were  being  honeycombed  with  drill  holes,  and 
when  the  hour  came,  after  long  years  of  preparation,  a  spark 
from  a  battery  sent  the  whole  mass  high  in  the  air. 

There  are,  however,  visible  results  in  full  proportion  to  the 
means  employed.  The  one  or  two  hundreds  of  converts 
whom  I  found  in  connection  with  Protestant  churches  at  my 
arrival,  in  1850,  have  expanded  to  fifty-five  or  sixty  thousand 
in  1895.  This,  the  lowest  estimate,  compared  with  the  thirty- 
five  thousand  in  i8go  (obtained  by  a  sort  of  census),  will  give 
the  rate  of  increase.  The  churches,  or  organized  companies 
of  believers,  are  not  far  from  a  thousand.  Some  hundreds  of 
these  are  supplied  with  native  pastors,  while  the  number  of 
evangelists,  who  have  a  roving  commission  to  i)lant  the  gospel 
in  new  fields,  is  greatly  on  the  increase.  Mission  schpols, 
some  of  which  take  rank  as  colleges,  are  raising  up  large 
numbers  of  young  men  well  equipped  for  this  work.  Num- 
bers of  students  from  mission  schools  have  been  drafted  into 
the  new  university  at  Tientsin,  and  the  demand  for  such  is 
certain  to  extend.  Here,  then,  is  an  agency  from  which 
there  is  more  to  hope  than  from  an  excessive  multiplication  of 
the  foreign  element.  Foreign  missionaries  in  large  numbers 
will,  it  is  true,  l)e  needed  for  a  long  time,  and  tliey  will  find 
ample  scope  for  their  energies  in  the  work  of  education  and 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  455 

superintendence.  There  is  no  danger  of  too  many  entering 
the  field,  if  our  missionary  societies  encourage  none  to  offer 
who  are  not  fitted  by  superior  training.  Weak  and  ignorant 
men  and  women  are  out  of  place  in  China.  In  addition  to 
other  qualifications,  they  require  to  be  strong  in  faith,  and  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

If  it  be  true,  and  it  certainly  is,  that  the  grandest  enterprise 
that  appeals  to  the  heart  of  man  is  the  conversion  of  the 
world  to  Christ,  it  is  unquestionable  that  the  grandest  of  mis- 
sion fields  is  the  empire  of  China.  The  actual  state  of  affairs 
cannot  be  better  described  than  in  the  words  of  the  apostle 
who  led  the  assault  on  pagan  Rome :  "A  great  and  effectual 
door  is  opened  unto  us,  and  there  are  many  adversaries.^^ 

"  China  for  Christ,  even  though  it  take  a  thousand  years,"  * 
should  be  the  war-cry  of  the  new  crusade.  But  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that,  with  the  growing  multitude  of  native  agents, 
the  work  of  evangelization  may  be  practically  completed  in  the 
tenth  part  of  that  time.  The  chief  opposition  comes,  as  we 
have  seen,  from  members  of  the  literary  corporation.  The  sci- 
entific ingredients  which  the  government  is  forced  to  introduce 
into  the  examinations  for  the  civil  service  may  be  relied  on  to 
revolutionize  that  obstructive  body,  and  to  bring  it  into  line  with 
the  progress  of  the  age.  Their  narrow-minded  conservatism 
gone,  they  will  be  in  sympathy  with  the  educational  and  humane 
agencies  of  the  church  of  Christ,  and  be  far  more  accessible  to 
spiritual  influences  than  they  now  are,  especially  when  they  come 
to  understand  that  there  is  no  necessary  conflict  between  Christ 
and  Confucius,  any  more  than  there  was  between  Paul  and 
Plato. 

In  the  immature  condition  of  the  native  church,  its  depen- 
dence on  foreign  teachers,  and  the  necessity  for  foreign  inter- 
ference to  hold  the  government  up  to  the  duty  of  protecting 
them  and  their  converts,  unavoidably  excite  a  degree  of  odium. 
*  The  words  of  John  Angell  James. 


456  A    CYCLE   OF  CATHAY 

When  it  becomes  strong  enough  to  dispense  with  foreign 
teachers,  and  when  the  government,  hke  that  of  Japan,  comes 
to  recognize  fully  the  rights  of  conscience,  and  to  throw  its 
aegis  over  the  Christian  communities,  much  of  the  antipathy 
arising  from  spurious  patriotism  will  disappear. 

If  it  be  asked  how  long  it  is  hkely  to  be  before  the  nations 
of  Christendom  can  safely  withdraw  from  their  missionaries 
and  native  Christians  even  the  semblance  of  a  protectorate,  I 
answer  that  it  may  be  withdrawn  as  soon  as  they  are  prepared 
to  renounce  extra-territorial  privileges  for  all  their  citizens,  and 
to  trust  life  and  property  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Chinese  courts. 
China  must  first  revolutionize  her  judicial  system,  and  show 
that  her  entire  government  is  penetrated  with  the  modern 
spirit.  Already  this  stage  has  been  reached  in  Japan,  and  it 
was  not  preceded  by  riots.  Let  the  viceroys  be  compelled  to 
stop  the  riots,  and  it  will  come  in  China  all  the  sooner.  But 
does  it  pay  for  missions  to  win  their  way  by  slow  degrees  and 
at  enormous  cost?  This  is  an  objection  that  we  often  hear  in 
the  guise  of  a  question.  The  exclamation,  "  To  what  purpose 
this  waste?  "  was  not  a  question,  but  a  complaint.  Those  who 
make  it  in  modern  times  are  not  those  who  "  have  the  bag  " 
or  who  contribute  to  its  contents.  The  man  who  would  put 
a  money  value  on  the  religion  in  which  he  was  nurtured  would 
justify  Judas  in  selling  his  Master.  Yet  a  word  on  the  subject 
of  worldly  benefits  may  not  be  unsuitable  to  bring  this  discus- 
sion to  a  close  What  a  revenue  will  the  civilization  of  Africa 
bring  to  each  of  the  share-holding  powers?  Of  how  much 
more  value  would  China  be  to  the  commercial  world  if  her 
stanrlard  of  comfort  were  somewhat  elevated  — if,  for  example, 
her  industrious  millions  took  to  wearing  shirts,  and  if  every 
man  required  as  much  soap  and  as  many  changes  of  raiment 
as  a  l-'uropean  of  the  same  class  ?  One  does  not  need  to  li\-e 
long  among  them  to  feel  that,  in  comfort  as  in  coinage,  the 
standard  of  Europe  is  gold,  and  that  of  China  silver,  if  not  a 


THE  MISSIONARY  QUESTION  457 

baser  metal.  To  show  how  the  seeds  of  a  higher  civiHzation 
are  being  sown,  I  may  mention  that  the  late  Dr.  S.  R.  Brown, 
before  going  as  a  missionary  to  Japan,  had  charge  of  a  school 
in  Hong  Kong,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Morrison  Education 
Society.  One  of  his  pupils  was  Yung  Wing,*  who  brought  a 
large  body  of  young  men  to  the  United  States  for  education. 
Another  was  Tang  Kingsing,  who  led  the  way  in  organizing  the 
new  merchant  marine  of  China.  What  may  we  not  hope  from 
the  many  thousands  now  being  educated  in  mission  schools! 

I  may  add  that  it  is  to  missionaries  that  China  is  indebted 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  text-books  of  modern  science  now 
accessible  to  her  people  ;  a  fact  which  led  a  Chinese  scholar  of 
high  position  (already  quoted)  to  maintain  that  China  has  de- 
rived more  advantage  from  Christian  missions  than  from  for- 
eign commerce. 

An  old  missionary, t  on  the  eve  of  embarking  for  his  field  of 
labor,  once  held  up  before  my  eyes  something  that  resembled 
an  elegant  bird-cage,  and  asked  me  to  guess  what  it  contained. 
Said  I,  "  I  have  not  the  least  idea — a  fairy  queen,  perhaps, 
for  it  looks  like  a  palace."  "  It  is  a  palace,"  he  said,  "  and 
it  shelters  a  queen ;  I  am  taking  a  queen  bee  to  India,  to  im- 
prove the  native  breed  of  honey-makers." 

Beautiful  emblem  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  which  redeems 
human  nature  from  its  wild  state,  and  enriches  and  sweetens 
this  life  as  a  foretaste  of  that  which  is  to  come! 

*  Mr.  Yung  Wing,  LL.  D.,  of  Yale,  has  been  newly  appointed  a  com- 
missioner for  foreign  affairs  in  the  viceroyalty  of  Nanking. 

t  Dr.  Woodside,  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission  in  India. 


APPENDIX 


A.  POPULATION  OF  CHINA  PROPER 

N.  B. — Tlie  eighteen  provinces  south  of  the  Great  Wall  form  what  is 
called  China  proper.  They  fall  into  four  ranges,  or  belts,  from  east  to 
west;  two  belts  lying  to  the  north  of  the  Yang-tse-Kiang,  and  two  to  the 
south. 

OUTER    NORTHERN    BELT 

Square  miles.  Population  in  1887. 

Shantung    65, 104  36,644,000 

Chihli 58,949  17,937,000  (in  1879) 

Shansi  55,268  10,658,000 

Shensi   67,400  8,403,000 

Kansu 86,608  5,41 1,000  (in  1879) 

INNER    NORTHERN    BELT 

Kiangsu 44,500  21,408,000 

Anhui 48,461  20,597,000  (in  1879) 

Honan 65, 104  22, 1 1 7,000 

Hupeh 70,450  33,763,000 

Szechuen 166,800  73, 1 78,000 

INNER    SOUTHERN    BELT 

Chekiang 39, 150  11,703,000 

Kiangsi 72,176  24,559,000 

Hunan 74,320  21,006,000 

Kweichau   ....          64,554  4,806,000 

OUTER    SOUTHERN    BELT 

Fu-kien  (with  Formosa)  ....  53,480  24,344,000  (in  1886) 

Kwangtung  (with  Hainan) .  .  79,456  29,762,000 

Kwangsi   78,250  5,121,000  (in  1879) 

Yunnan 107,969  1 1,721,000 


Total 1,298,000       383,138,000 

The  population  of  the  outlying  regions  is  but  a  drop  in  a  bucket,  compared 
with  that  of  the  eighteen  provinces.  To  4,957,000  for  the  three  provinces 
of  JManchuria,  add  1,238,000  for  Kashgaria,  and  5,000,000  each  for  Mon- 
golia and  Tibet,  and  we  have  a  grand  total  of  399,333,000.     The  figures 

4S9 


460  ArPENDlX 

for  the  four  provinces  marked  (1879)  are  taken  from  a  paper  of  Mr.  Paul 
Popoff,  of  the  Russian  legation,  Peking  ;  the  remainder  from  a  paper  of  Dr. 
Dudgeon,  by  whom  they  were  extracted  from  a  memorial  of  the  Board  of 
Revenue,  obtained  from  the  Marquis  Tseng,  a  vice-president  of  that  board. 
The  common  estimate  of  four  hundred  millions  for  the  population  of  the 
empire  is  probably  not  in  excess  of  the  truth.  Owing  to  imperfection  in 
their  mode  of  enumeration,  strict  accuracy  is  not  to  be  expected.  A 
governor  of  a  province  will  sometimes  add  what  he  supposes  to  be  the 
probable  increment  to  an  old  census,  instead  of  taking  the  trouble  to  make 
a  new  one.  As  rejjorts  of  tlie  po[)ulation  are  rendered  every  year,  they 
may  be  considered  as  proximately  trustworthy.  "  The  Cliinese,"  says 
Dr.  Williams,  "  are  doubtless  one  of  the  most  conceited  nations  on  eanli  ; 
l)ut  with  all  their  vanity  they  have  never  thought  of  rating  tlieir  popula- 
tion twenty-five  (jr  thirty  ])er  cent,  higlicr  than  they  sujijiose  it  to  be, 
for  the  purpose  of  exalting  tlieniselves  in  the  eyes  of  foreigners."  TJiat 
they  could  hni'er  tlie  figures  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  pojnilatitm 
appear  less  in  the  eves  of  foreigners  never  occurred  to  the  author  of  "  The 
Middle  Kingdom."  Yet  they  stand  conxictedof  tliat  extraordinary  freak. 
Here  is  wliat  Dr.  Dudgeon  says  of  it  and  its  motive.  Referring  to  a 
table  of  returns,  fibtaincd  bv  one  of  tlie  foreign  ministers,  which  made 
the  total  for  Cliina  projier  only  two  hundred  and  fifteen  millions,  he  re 
marks  that  "  the  figures  presented  were  designedly  niisleading,  having  been  • 
reduced  exactlv  one  thii'd,  with  the  connivance  and  by  the  sanction  of 
the  l)oard.  The  true  reason,  which  was  afterw  an!  forthcoming,  was  tliat 
the  officials  sought  to  check  missionary  zeal  by  this  considerable  reduction 
of  the  pojmlation.  In  the  ff)llo\ving  year,  as  no  abatement  of  missionary 
immigration  seemed  to  follow,  tlie  [subtracted]  figures  were  again  added 
to  the  record." 

15.   STATE    OF    TR.ADE 

The  coni])lete  returns  for  1895  are  not  yet  obtainable.  For  tliat  reason, 
as  well  as  for  want  <if  s]iace.  we  omit  a  tabular  statement.  Two  facts, 
howrvcr,  speak  \oiumes  for  the  vitality  and  ]irospects  of  the  (.'hina 
trade:  first,  the  total  trade  for  1894  was  greater  tlian  lor  iSc):;.  notwith- 
standing the  war  with  Japan,  being  resp(.-eti\ely  290,207,000  taels  and 
267,995,000  t;iels  ;  second,  tlie  receipt.-,  for  tlie  last  cpiarter  of  1895  were 
greater  than  for  the  last  (piarter  of  i8c)4,  notwitlistanding  the  loss  of  three 
port>  by  the  c  ssion  of  k'ormosa,  and  the  temporary  occupation  of  Liao- 
tong.      The  figures  stand  thus  : 

1S94,  last  quarter,  from  20  ports    5,209,000  taels 

1895,     "  «'  "      17     "     5,212,000  taels 


INDEX 


Academy,    Imperial,    Hanlin,    loo, 

303,  312. 
Agriculture,  honor  to,  243. 
Aitchison,  Rev.W.,  190;  his  strange 

presentiment,  203. 
Alchemy,  104,  303,  314. 
Aklersey,    Miss,    queer    ways    and 

good   works,    207. 
Allies,    English    and   French,    take 

Taku,    162;   repulsed,    190;   take 

Taku,  217;  Peking,  219. 
Almanac,  superstitious  use  of,  310. 
Almanna,  legend  of,  245. 
American  relations,  406 ;  influence, 

409 ;  trade,  410. 
Amoy,  visit  to,  37. 
Angell,  Hon.  J.  B. ,  23,  407. 
Anti-foreign  policy,  19. 
Anti-tax  riot,  91. 
"  Arrow  "  war  begun,  143. 
Arsenal,  Fuchau,  45. 
Artist,  Chinese,  147. 
Astronomy,  309. 
Audience  question,  199,  433. 
Avatar  of  dragon,  S;^. 

Baldwin,  Rev.  Dr.  Caleb,  45. 

Bamboo,  its  uses,  172. 

Battles  at  Taku,  162,  190,  217. 

Beggars,  cunning  tricks,  78. 

Bell,  Great,  legend  of,  248. 

Billequin,  Professor,  his  work,  303. 

Blodget,  Rev.  Dr.  H.,  240. 

"  Pdood  is  thicker  than  water,"  192. 

Pioards,  six,  of  state,  337. 

P)0at  travel  on  Peiho,  137  ;  on  C.rand 

Canal,  291. 
Books  of  Confucius  burned,  258. 
Bradley,  Consul,  147,  148. 


Brandt,  ITerr  von,  German  minister, 

342,  408. 
Bridal  ceremony,  367. 
Bride  of  river-god,  121. 
Bridgman,  Rev.  Dr.,  211  (note). 
Brown,  Hon.  J.  Ross,  376,  407. 
P>rown,  Rev.  Dr.  S.   R.,  457. 
Buddhism,  38,  226,  261. 
Bull-fights,  96. 
Burlingame,  Hon.  Anson,  222,  231, 

374- 
Burmah,  392. 
Burns,  Rev.  William,  239. 
Buttons,  mark  of  rank,  151. 

Canton,  visit  to,  23. 

Cart  travel,   197,  198,  265. 

Caste,  none,  329. 

Censors,  312,  341,  388. 

Census.     See  Population. 

Ceremony,  99,  323. 

Chefoo,  Convention  of,  430. 

Chemistry,  303,  314. 

Chusan,  47. 

Civil  service,   Part  11.,  chap,  viii., 

328;  examinations  for,  42;  science 

introduced,  318. 
Clan  life,  no. 
Classics,  nine,  58 ;  five,  59. 
Clerks,  indispensable,  331. 
College,   Im]ierial,  Tungwen,   293 ; 

continued,  306. 
Confucius,    ^■isit   to   tomb   of,    2S0 ; 

character  and  teachings,  287,  288. 
Contraries,  list  of,   152. 
Converts,    genuine,    67;    doubtful, 

238. 
Coolie  traffic,  31. 
Corea,  402. 


461 


462 


INDEX 


Coulter,  Mrs.  C,  211. 
Cricket,  game  of,  96. 
Cue,  mark  of  subjection,  24. 
Culbertson,  Rev.  Dr.,  211. 
Cursing,  practice  of,  81. 
Cushing,  Hon.  Caleb,  23. 
Customs  service,  411. 

Denby,  United  States  minister,  407, 

453- 
Devil,  one  cast  out,  70. 
Devils,  invocation  of,  80. 
Dialects  of  Chinese,  53 ;  dialect  ro- 

nianized,  54. 
Dominicans,  34,  440. 
Doolittle,  Rev.  J.,  17  (note). 
Doty,  Rev.  E.,  37. 
Dowager  Empress  Tszehi,  262,  346. 
Dragons,  gootl  and  bad,  83,  313. 
Drama,  the  Chinese,  72. 
Dudgeon,  J.,  M.D.,  320,  322. 
Dupont,    Captain    (Admiral),    148, 

160,  178. 
Dynasties,  sketch  of,  251. 
Dzungming  Island,  129. 

Earthquake,  loi. 

Eclipses,  earliest  record,  152. 

Edict  of  toleration,  440 ;  forbidding 
riots,  451. 

Edkins,  Rev.  Dr.,  240. 

Education,  42,  235,  293,  306. 

lilements,  five,  236. 

Elgin,  Lord,  his  mistakes,  221. 

P^Iliot,  Captain,  22. 

Emigration  sought  by  us,  160;  pro- 
hibition repealed,  161. 

Emperor,  his  checks,  336,  337. 

Empress  dowager,  262,  346. 

iMigland.      See  Creat  Britain. 

I'^videnccs  of  Christianity,  70. 

l'2xaminations  for  civil  service,  42. 

lOxogamy,  iio. 

Fable  of  clam,  401  ;  of  fox,  1S3;  of 
magic  carpet,  20;  of  magic  wiiip, 
18. 

Family  go\XTniii(;iit,  334. 

I'V-udal  sy>tL-in  abdli-licd,   257. 

l-'cnds,  village,  112;  nf  lunkiiK-ii,  95. 

I'Mial  pi'-t}-.  2.4  ;  mo.lcN,   i  15. 


Fishing,  queer  modes  of,  117. 
Flood,  the  Chinese,  114. 
Foster,  Hon.  J.  W.,  325,  355. 
Four  Books,  60. 
France,  relations  with  China,  393 ; 

first  war  with  China,  145  ;  second 

war  with  China,  395. 
Friendship  of  Yushan,  176. 
Fuchau  (Foo-chow),  visit  to,  37. 
Fimgshui  (geomancy),  41. 

Gambling,  passion  for,  96. 

Gardens,  Howqua's,  30. 

Geography,  sketch  of,  46. 

Geomancy  {fiiiigshni),  41. 

God,  names  for,  34. 

Gockless  of  mercy,  119,  120. 

Golden  age,  252. 

Good  offices  of  United  States  pro- 
vided for,  183;  exercised,  406. 

Goodrich,  Rev.  Dr.,  198. 

Gordon,  General,  139,  389. 

Grand  Canal,  291. 

Grant,  General,  visit  of,  324. 

Great  Britain,  relations  with  China, 
T,()0  fassiin. 

Great  Wall,  visit  to,  250;  best  place 
to  study  history,  251. 

Gros,  Baron,  141. 

Gumjmch,  J.  von,  his  eccentricities, 
304- 

Han,  dynasty  of,  260. 

Hangchau,  visit  to,  112. 

Hankow  taken  by  rebels,  128. 

Ilappcr,  Rev.  Dr.,  29. 

Hart,  Sir  Robert,  214,411,  232,  375. 

Heaven,  altar  of,  242. 

Hills,  our  summer  resort,  222. 

History,  sketcli  of,  251. 

Hoang-Ho  (Yellow  River),  47,  280, 

282. 
Hong  Kong,  aspect  and  gro^\•th,  18. 
Honorary  portals,  271. 
Human  sacrifices,  121. 
Hung,     rebel     chief,     127     (whole 

chapter). 

Idols,  eveless,73  ;  jirocessions  of,  71. 
Infanticide,   107. 
Inns,  squalid,   26S. 


INDEX 


463 


International  law  introduced,   221, 

233- 
Interpreters,  School  of,  293. 

Japan,  relations  with,  400;  war  with, 

403- 
Jesuit  missions,  34,  410. 
jews,  visit  to  a  colony  of,  265. 

Kanghi,  Emperor,  262,  289,  440. 
Keying,  rise  and  fall,  171,  174. 
Kuangsii,   the   reigning   sovereign, 

316,  317,  437. 
Kung,  Prince,  344. 
Kwanyin,    goddess   of  mercy,    1 19, 

120. 
Kweiliang,  prime  minister,  171. 

Lamaism,  247,  244. 
Language,  study  of,  52. 
Laotse,  father  of  Taoism,  103. 
Laureate,  scholar,  loO. 
Lawyers,  but  no  liar,  116. 
Lay,  Mr.  H.  N.,  231,  420. 
Legge,  Rev.  Dr.,  34. 
Letter  of  emperor,  172. 
Li  flung  Chang,  347. 
Literature,  sketch  of,  58. 
Low,  Hon.  Y.  F.,  407. 

Macao,  visit  to,  31. 

MacGowan,  Dr.  D.  J.,  214. 

Magic  and  medicine,  322. 

Magic  and  riots,  448. 

Manchu  dynasty,  262  ;  scholar,  358  ; 

statesman,  360. 
Mandarins,  Part  n.,chap.  viii.,  328  ; 

their  grades,  151. 
Marriage  ceremonies,  367. 
Marriages,  mixed,  97. 
Martin,  Rev.  S.  N.  D.,  212,  57. 
Massacres  of  missionaries,  445,  447. 
Mayors,  functions  and  emoluments 

of,  332,  m. 
McCartee,  Dr.  D.  B.,  210. 
McCartney,  Lord,  433,  436. 
McCartney,  Sir  Halliday,  365. 
Mediation  by  the  United  States,  183, 

406. 
Medical  missions,  27,  322. 
Medicine,  ideas  of,  320, 


Mencius,  60. 

Metempsychosis,  39. 

Military  antics,  75,  330. 

Missions  and  missionary  questions, 

439- 
Moliammedans,   195,  274. 
Mongols,  262. 
Moule,  Bishop,  213. 
Mountains,  sacred,  49. 

Natural  philosophy,  236;  edition  for 
emperor,  237. 

Negotiations  at  Taku,  250;  at  Ti- 
entsin, 267. 

Nestorians,  439  (note). 

Ningpo,  site  and  aspect,  51,  204 
(note). 

Nirvana,  38,  229. 

Neutrality  ignored,  192. 

Neutrals,  their  position,  i66. 

Nevius,  Rev.  Dr.,  213. 

New-Year  ceremony,  272,  365. 

Observatories,  old  and  new,  309. 
Old  students,  315. 
Opium-smoking,  its  effects,  85 ;  Chi- 
nese opinion  of,  87. 
Opium  war,  its  real  cause,  21. 

Papal  representation  at  Peking,  443. 

Parker,  Peter,  M.D.,  27. 

Parkes,  Sir  Harry,  422  (note). 

Patriotism,  no  word  for,  165  ;  spuri- 
ous, 166. 

Pavilion,  Homeward  View,  legend 
of,  245.  _ 

Peiho,    United  States   embassy  on, 

^97- 
Persecution  of  Christians,  440. 
Philosophy  of  Buddhism,   38,   120, 

229 ;  natural  notions  of,  236. 
Pirates,  my  experience  among  them, 

122;   missionaries  murdered   by, 

44. 
Planchette,  Taoist,  106,  137. 
Plenipotentiary,  title  wanting,  152; 

title  granted,  167. 
Poet,  sad  fate  of,  81. 
Poetry,  an  age  of,  261. 
Pope,  his  decision,  34,  440  ;  a  Taoist 

pope,  105. 


464 


INDEX 


Population,  263,  Appendix. 
Portents,  312,  313,  428. 
Portuguese,  massacres  of,  93,  94. 
Preaching,  pagan,  289. 
Printing,  a  Chinese  invention,  308, 

261. 
Prisoners,  release  of,  74,  202. 
Processions  of  idols,  71. 
Proclamations  against  riots,  452. 
Puto,  a  sacred  island,  119. 

Quail,  a  fighting  bird,  96. 
Quanyin.      See  Kwanyin  ;  for  other 
names  in  Q  see  K. 

Railways,  the  first,  233 ;  projected, 
268,  427. 

Rankin,  Rev.  II.  V.,  212,  57. 

Rcliellion,  Taiping,  127. 

Reed,  Hon.  William  B.,  his  nego- 
tiations, 148  et  seq. 

Regency,  two  empresses,  263,  345. 

Release  of  prisoners,  74,  202. 

Religions,  three,  289  ;  the  triad  com- 
pleted, 261.  See  Buddhism,  Tao- 
ism, Confucius. 

Riots,  cause  and  cure,  445. 

Rites,  Board  of,  323  ;  IJook  of,  60. 

Rivers,  47. 

Roberts,  Rev.  Issachar,  29. 

Russell,  Bishop,  55,  112,  213. 

Russia,  relations  with,  388. 

Sacrifices,  human,  120. 
Salt,  a  state  monopoly,  167. 
Schereschewsky,  Bishop,  240. 
Schools,  42 ;   mission  schools,  235, 

454,  457- 

Seclusion,  policy  of,  19. 

Seward,  Hon.  G.  K.,  407,  409. 

Shanghai  taken  by  rebels,  138. 

Showy  sign-boards,  26. 

Shivery,  307  (note). 

Smith,  liishop,  34. 

SduI,  search  for  one,  68,  80. 

Steamers,  first  Cln'nese,  204,  206. 

Students,  314,  315. 

Suicide,  120,  121  ;  granted  by  de- 
cree, 175. 

Summer  palace  destroyed,  219. 


Taiping  rebellion,  127. 

Taku  taken,    162,  217;  repulse  at, 

190. 
Taoism,  102  ;  a  Taoist  truth-seeker, 

lOI. 

Tartars.  See  Mongols  and  Man- 
chus. 

Tatnall,  Commodore,  his  speech, 
192. 

Taxes,  anti-tax  riot,  91. 

Teachers,  respect  for,  358 ;  emper- 
or's English,  316,  317,  318. 

Temple  of  Confucius,  283. 

Temples  and  priests,  Buddhist,  226, 
227. 

Term  question,  34. 

Theater,  72. 

Toleration  by  decree,  440;  by  treaty, 
441 ;  article  in  United  States 
treaty,  18 1,  182. 

Tombs  of  emperors,  249 ;  of  Confu- 
cius, 280. 

Trade,  American,  410. 

Transmigration  of  souls,  39. 

Treaties  signed,  183,  187,  188. 

Tseng,  Marquis,  363,  385. 

Tsungli  Yamen,  United  States  rela- 
tions with,  406. 

Vassals,  treatment  of,  371. 

Vegetarians,  447. 

Viceroy  Chang  Chitung,   388 ;    Li 

Hung  Chang,  347. 
Village  government,  335. 
Voyage  out,  17;  up  coast,  36. 

Wade,  Sir  Thomas,  427. 

War,  the  opium,  21  ;  the  "Arrow," 

143  ;  French,  395  ;  Japanese,  403. 
W^ard,  General,   139. 
W^ard,  Hon.  J.  E.,  visit  to  Peking, 

190,  194. 
Widows,  209,  210,  273.   121. 
Williams,  Dr.  S.  W.,  2?<  pmsiJii. 
Women,    82 ;     funeral    honors    to, 

164. 
Worship  of  ancestors,  214,  440. 

Young,  Hon.  J.  Russell,  407. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


iLcJ  W^o^l 


r  I  /(^ 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


7 


A    001  421  074    4 


i' 


Kj^aBB^^SnE^^NHbiPI^B^"  ^, 

|^#  A:   ^ 

mil  ^'^^^PH 

P  1        J          1 

